


Small Talk

by GingerSpirits



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Exes, Exes to Lovers, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, Four years apart is not enough to forget your past, Getting Back Together, Love at First Sight, Lovers to Friends, Multi, Out of Character, Post-Break Up, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23971762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GingerSpirits/pseuds/GingerSpirits
Summary: Strangers to Lovers to Strangers...“If you loved me, why did you break up with me?”“I already told you why”“You told me a reason. Not the real reason”Inspired by: Small Talk - Katy Perry.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Anne Shirley, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 76
Kudos: 120





	1. Small Talk

**Author's Note:**

> Title of the chapter from Small Talk by Katy Perry
> 
> I recommend you listen to the song while reading this if you can.

June 21, 2019

Books were always Anne’s best friends, they were her way out, reading books was her way of leaving the human world for a few hours and go live a tragic romance story or the most fantastic adventure. She loved them so much she did not want to be apart from them, working on a bookshop seemed like the best way to live close to them. Her work was very easy, she worked as the ‘field bookseller’ which meant she had to walk around the store and help the costumers with the books, Anne had read almost every book in the store, therefore she could give an opinion about a book to anyone who needed it.

**“Do you need help?”** Anne asked the beautiful blonde standing in the middle of the aisle, her brows were furrowed like she was thinking very hard about the book she had in her hand. The girl was holding Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. She was tall with curly blonde hair and grey eyes, and the blue flowery dress she was wearing really accentuated her figure.

**“Uhh, yes. Thank you”** the girl replied, she was British, Anne quickly noticed her accent. **“I really don’t know much about books, but my boyfriend does and I wanted to give it a try, he said he really liked this book but I don’t know** ” she sighed, **“I don’t really like monsters, they’re** **scary and this book apparently is about a monster. What do you think…uh”**

**“Anne, that’s my name”**

**“Nice to meet you, Anne, I’m Winifred** ” Anne smiled and nodded for her to continue, **“Alright, so… My boyfriend told me he read this and he liked it a lot, but, like I told you, I don’t really like monsters…so I don’t know what to do”**

**“Ok, first if you think you will not like the book, maybe it’s better you look for something else, I can help you if you want. But, I do like this book a lot too, it is about a monster and it can be scary sometimes but it’s not only about that, it’s about humanity and what it means to be human. I don’t want to tell you much about the book because it’s better to read it without prior knowledge”**

**“Come on! Tell me more, now I’m intrigued”** Winifred pouted, making Anne laugh.

**“Ah, well… if you want to know want I’m talking about you’ll have to read the book”** Anne said with a smug grin on her face.

**“That’s not fa-”**

**“Winnie!”**

_That voice, I know that voice_. Anne thought. The voice was coming from behind her.

**“Hi, babe”** Winifred replied with a smile, **“I’m not done, Anne here is helping me decide if I should buy this book or not”**

**“Anne?”** he breathed, taking the sight of the girl in front of him, who was still with her back to him. She slowly turned to see him, Gilbert.

**“Hi”** she smiled.

**“Wait, you two know each other?”** Winnie asked and they nodded. **“Oh… Is this the Anne you talked to me about?”** Gilbert’s eyes widened and his eyebrows starting telling her to be quiet. Winnie was already acquainted with his talkative eyebrows, so she shut her mouth quickly.

**“You talked to her about me?”** Anne asked.

**“Of course he did, he tells me everything”** Winnie said and shut her mouth quickly again after he looked at her again.

**“Uh, yes. It’s been a while, Anne”** He said, clearing his throat.

**“Yes… four years”**

**“Four”** He repeated, **“How have you been?”**

**“Good, good. I finish college in a year, and I started working here a few months ago”** Anne responded.

**“Seems fitting,”** he chuckled, **“It must be your dream job, to be surrounded by books all day”**

**“It is, I love it here,”** she said, “ **My workmates think my job is rather difficult, but I don’t think so. All I have to do is walk around the store and help the –possible- clients choose a book”** Anne explained, **“What about you? Are you a doctor yet?”**

Gilbert laughed, **“I wish. I still have two more years. Medicine is… interestingly long to learn. I’ll be twenty-six when I graduate. We’ll be actually”** he said pointing to Winifred, who had been quiet this entire time.

**“You guys are both studying medicine?”**

**“Yes, I’m studying to be an obstetrician, and Winnie wants to be a pediatrician”** Gilbert responded.

**“That’s cool”** She nodded, **“So, what are you doing here?”**

Gilbert laughed again, **“What, Shirley? You don’t want me here?”**

**“No!”** Anne laughed, **“It’s just… weird, it’s been so long”**

**“Yeah”** he breathed, **“Winnie wanted to see Canada and I was away for four years so… I don’t know, I finally had a reason to come back”**

Anne’s heart stopped. It had been four years since she last saw him. Sometimes she wonders what her life would be like if she was still with him. She always felt happy around him, she felt loved; he was truly the best thing that happened to her… at the time. Then he left for four years, and she pushed him away, just the day before he left. She cried for him for two years and never talked to him once during that time, and she did not talk to him the other two years after that either.

_He did not come back for me and I cried for him._

**“Anyway… what do you think, babe?”** Winnie asked, showing him the book.

**“Frankenstein”** he read, **“I like it. You should buy it”**

**“You think so?”** Winnie told him and he nodded.

_Anything to get out of here as soon as possible_ , Gilbert thought.

**“Alright then, I’ll buy it”** She smiled, **“Thank you, Anne, for helping me! I’ll come back here when I’m done and see if I understood that thing about being humans you talked about”**

**“I look forward to it”** Anne said.

* * *

**“You will NOT believe who I saw today at work!”** Anne said, coming through the door and throwing it, making a loud noise.

**“Why are you screaming?”** Cole groaned, waking up from the nap he was just having at their living room couch. **“You know naps are sacred, Anne Shirley. So, this better be good”** he warned her, pointing with his index finger.

**“Where’s Di?”** Anne asked.

**“She’s in her room with Fred. Why do you think I’m here on the couch? My room is next to hers and I don’t want to hear again all those noises Fred makes”** He gags and Anne scrunches her nose, disgusted. **“Are you going to tell me who you saw or not?”**

Anne moved his legs and sat on the couch next to him, **“I wanted to tell you two together”**

**“From 1 to 10, how shocking it is?”** he asked.

**“11”**

**“Fred!”** Cole stood up and shouted, **“Pull out, my boy! Diana, Anne and I have things to discuss!”** he stopped in front of Diana’s door, **“You two have five seconds to get dressed or I’ll open this door! ONE! TWO! THREE! FOUR! FI-”**

The door opens.

**“We were just watching Netflix, you idiot!”** Diana said, pushing his face out of the way. Fred’s laugh coming from inside the room, **“What do you want?”**

**“Anne has to talk to us”**

**“About what?”** She crossed her arms over her chest.

**“Apparently she saw someone today and it’s 11 out of 10 shocking”**

**“Can Fred co-”**

**“Yes, he can!”** Anne shouted from the living room.

**“You,”** Diana said, pointing to her boyfriend, **“Get up and come with us”** she grabbed Cole’s arm and dragged him to the living room, Fred following behind them **. “11 out of 10 sounds interesting, now talk”** She demanded.

**“Sit down”** Anne patted the spot next to her on the couch.

**“Are you going to tell us or not?”** Diana said, after a few seconds of silence.

**“I saw Gilbert today”** Anne announced.

**“WHAT?”** The three of them said in unison.

**“Gilbert as in Gilbert Blythe? The Gilbert Blythe you dated for two years and then dumped out of nowhere?”** Cole gasps his right hand on his chest, still in shock.

**“Yes, that Gilbert”** Anne rolled her eyes, **“How many Gilberts do you know?”**

**“Just one,”** Diana said, **“Tell us what happened”**

**“Ok, so… There was this cute British girl looking at one of the books so I offered my help. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress and her hair was blonde and curl-”**

**“Anne”** Fred said, **“Focus”**

**“Right,”** She nodded, **“So I offered my help and we talked about the book. Then I heard a man, Gilbert, of course, call someone named ‘Winnie’ aka the girl I was talking to. When he comes, she calls him ‘babe’”** Cole and Diana gasp, **“I know! And then Gilbert sees me and well, we talk for a bit. He said he had two more years of medical school and that he had not come back in four years because he had no reason to. Can you believe that? like I haven't been here the whole time he was in Paris”**

**“Well, his only family here is Bash and Charlie, and they go to Paris to visit him. Also, you guys broke up”** Diana shrugged, **“and you did not show any sign to him that you wanted him back”**

**“I cried for him for two years!”**

**“You cried for him, but did you cried to him?”** Cole added, **“Did you tell him you wanted him back?”** silence, **“Thought so”**

**“Oh, I forgot,”** Anne said, changing the subject, **“Winnie also knew about me, when Gilbert came and saw it was me, she asked him if it was me the Anne he talked to her about”**

**“Classic”** Fred laughed.

**“What is that supposed to mean?”**

**“Come on, Anne. You know you had and probably have that boy wrapped around your finger. Every time we hung out after you two started dating he literally wouldn’t shut up, he was always talking about you”** Fred said.

**“That doesn’t mean he told her good things about me”**

**“Anne, are you serious? Do you even know Gilbert at all? You know he’s not-”** Diana started.

**“As a matter of fact no, I don’t know him,”** she snapped. **“Not anymore at least. I knew the Gilbert who left me four years ago in my bed crying to sleep!”** Anne yelled and went to her room.

**“Well that escalated quickly”** Cole said. Diana sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.


	2. Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert meet.
> 
> Title of the chapter from Strangers by the Jonas Brothers. I recommend you listen to this song while reading if you want.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is rated T for a reason. I won't be very explicit writing sexy scenes because I don't feel comfortable doing that (only reading them lol)

August 17, 2013

Billy Andrews was in love, he was sure he would spend the rest of his life with his lover, Anne Shirley, she is a year younger than him. His senior year of high school was about to start and that meant his last year seeing his love every day at school was about to start too. 

**“Hey pretty!”** Billy said after she opened her door.

 **“Hey!”** Anne greeted, **“Come in, I’m baking cookies”**

 **“Ooh, chocolate chips?”** he pouted.

 **“You know it”** She smiled, **“Are you going to Charlie’s party on Saturday?”**

 **“This Saturday?”** Anne nodded, **“That’s the weekend before school starts, babe. You know my mom, she wants me to be ‘refreshed’ for my new school year, my last. My grades need to be perfect”**

**“But you’re the smartest in your class… you’re probably going to be valedictorian”**

**“I won’t, Blythe is going to be the valedictorian,”** He said, the disgust was very noticeable in his voice. **“Anyway, I’m sorry I can’t come, next one I’ll be there with you I promise”**

 **“Alright”** She sighed, **“I guess it is going to be me, Cole, Diana, and I over 50 sweaty people dancing around us. Doesn’t it sound exciting?”** Billy laughed.

 **“Very”** He gave her a chaste kiss. **“Don’t miss me that much, remember I’ll be with you”** he said, putting his finger in her heart. **“Right here”**

Anne laughed, **“That’s so cheesy”**

 **“Ew”** He mocked, **“Cheese doesn’t go well with chocolate chips cookies”**

 **“THE COOKIES!”** Anne shrieked, **“Joder”** she said, putting the tray of burned cookies on the counter.

 **“I understood that**!” Billy said, clapping. **“You said fuck”** Anne laughs, nodding. **“See? I’m getting better at this… Spanish thing”**

**“You mean learning Spanish?”**

**“I don’t have to learn Spanish. I just like hearing you talk in Spanish, it’s sexy”** he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. **“Where are your parents? Are they home?”** she shakes her head. **“Forget the cookies, I feel like eating something else right now”**

* * *

**“CHARLIE”** Gilbert shouted from his room.

**“What?”**

**“I’ve been calling you for five minutes but your music it’s too loud and you wouldn’t listen. Where’s my hairbrush? You always take it without asking and I can’t find it”** He groaned.

 **“The party is about to start, I needed to set the mood”** he shook the little red cup on his hand, ignoring the question. He too was looking for the hairbrush a few hours ago, but he knew Gilbert did not have it., so it was his fault.

 **“I can’t believe we’re doing this. Dad is going to kill us if he finds out”** Gilbert said, brushing his curls with his hand. He was wearing black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, and black vans, pretty much what he wore every day, he had a collection of white t-shirts and black jeans in his closet, and every color of vans you could think of.

 **“He won’t”** He assures him, **“We’re going to have fun, let’s see who is going to be the first to move the party to his room”**

 **“You’re an asshole, did you know?”** Charlie laughs, **“You won’t ever find a girl who wants to be on a serious relationship with you if you keep treating women like that”**

 **“You are just like me”** Charlie argued.

 **“Am I really?”** He said, **“When was the last time you saw me fuck some random chick at a party and then ghost her?”** he did not respond, **“See?”**

* * *

John Blythe’s house was huge, it was the best place to throw a party and sadly for poor John, his kids new that, especially Charles, the youngest. There were around a hundred people in the house, more than what Charlie and Gilbert expected. One of the brothers did not mind the crowd that was in the house, while the other was about to pull every one of his hairs one by one from the stress.

 **“What if the neighbors call the police? What if the brake one of dad’s souvenirs from whichever country? Charlie, we have to get these people out of the house!”** Gilbert yelled, **“I knew we shouldn’t have done this”**

 **“Relaaax, dude. We can’t kick them out that’ll be social suicide”** Charlie hushed his brother to his room. **“If something goes wrong, blame me”**

**“I’m already blaming you!”**

**“Then what’s the problem?”**

**“The problem is that I’m the older one and I let my younger and stupid brother convince me to throw a party the weekend dad it’s out of town which happens to also be the last weekend before my senior year starts!”** He exclaimed.

 **“Hey, I’m only a year younger”** Gilbert rolled his eyes, **“Just stay here in your room then”**

**“That’s what I was planning on doing, Charles!”**

**“Then fine, Gilbert!”** Charlie got out of the room and slammed the door.

* * *

Anne Shirley could not take much alcohol, she only took one vodka with lime and she was feeling dizzy already. On top of that, Cole was MIA, he was probably with some random dude and Diana was –very- occupied with Fred Wright, which meant Anne was completely alone in a house full of –sort of- strangers, most of them were in her junior class but she did not talk with them that much. Anne decided to explore the house since she did not have much to do, she already saw the entire first floor so she when upstairs.

 **“Ups, sorry,”** Anne said when she opened the door of the first room she saw. **“I was just looking”**

 **“Wait!”** Gilbert called, coming out of his room chasing after the redhead, **“Anne, right?”** she nodded, **“Are you ok? Here, come with me”**

Gilbert thanked the gods he organized his room before the party started; he was not going to at first because no one would see it anyway is not like he was planning on anyone coming to his room and when he wasn’t there he locked it so no one could come in. Now he was in his room with this pretty girl, who apparently was looking for a place to cry in the middle of the party, she did not sound drunk so she must be just sad, but the way she talked confused him, she sounded happy.

 **“What were you looking for?”** Gilbert asked, sitting next to her in the bed.

**“Nothing, I was just walking around, I have nothing better to do”**

**“Why? Aren’t you enjoying the party?”**

**“One of my best friends is mia, probably making out with some guy and my other best friend abandoned me to be with Fred Wright and I don’t know anyone else in this party but Charlie and all he wants to do is shove his tongue down my throat and…”**

**“Yep”** Gilbert laughed, **“That sounds like my brother”**

 **“Oh, right”** Anne groaned, covering her face with her hands, **“He’s your brother. I’m sorry, I didn’t mea-”**

 **“It’s ok”** he moved her hands from her face, **“It’s the truth you don’t have to apologize”**

**“Why aren’t you downstairs at the party?”**

**“I was getting stressed there are too many people and I barely know half of them** ” Gilbert explained.

 **“We’re here for the same thing!”** Anne exclaimed, making Gilbert laugh.

* * *

They were sitting in Gilbert’s balcony looking up to the stars because Anne wanted fresh air. **“That’s not the only thing right?”** He asked, **“You’re not here just because of your friends”**

**“How do you know?”**

**“You’re very quiet, and you seem like the kind of person who likes to talk”**

**“Why would you think that?”** she looked at him.

 **“You gave that equality speech at the end of the school year,”** he said, turning on his side to look at her. **“It was amazing”**

**“Thank you”**

**“Women matter on their own, not in relation to a man”** he quoted, **“by far my favorite part”**

 **“I want to break up with my boyfriend”** she blurted out, confirming his previous suspicion **“he’s not the one for me, but I don’t want to hurt him, he’s the nicest guy ever and I just- I don’t feel the same anymore”** she sighed, **“and I want to kiss you so much right now I might explode if I don’t”**

 **“Then do it”** He did not have to tell her twice.

* * *

August 18, 2013

That night Gilbert Blythe dreamt with fire. She was so beautiful in every possible way, the curves of her body, her starry-like freckles that covered every inch of her skin and he was lucky enough to see it, her eyes were hypnotizing and the bluest blue he had ever seen, her hair was fire and it was spreading in his bed, he was burning with her.

 **“Gilbert wake- You son of a bitch!”** Charlie gasped.

It was not a dream.

He felt it immediately; there was this warmth on him like the one you feel when you’re home.

 **“You literally gave me a speech yesterday about how good you were because you didn’t sleep with random chicks at parties and now I find you with this random chick in your bed! Are you kidding me, Gilbert?”** Charlie scoffed, and the warmth in Gilbert’s arms started to turn around to see the source of the yelling, **“ANNE?!”**

 **“Would you stop screaming?!”** Anne shouted, making Gilbert laugh.

 **“What are you doing here?!”** Anne sat, pulling the sheets to cover her bare body, **“You have a boyfriend!”**

**“And you are still screaming!”**

**“Get out!”** Gilbert threw his brother a pillow.

**“But-”**

**“Out!”** they said in unison.

 **“Oh, and don’t you dare to say anything about what you saw!”** Anne yelled.

Charlie left without saying another word.

 **“Good morning, beautiful”** Gilbert said, pulling Anne into his arms.

 **“Good morning”** She kissed his chest, he playing with the ends of her hair. Gilbert sighed.

 **“What?”** Anne laughed.

 **“Ah, nothing”** he shrugged, **“It’s just that… don’t tell anyone but… I just woke up next to the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen”**

**“Is that so?”**

**“Oh, it is so”** Gilbert moved her, putting her on top of him.

 **“Don’t tell anyone, but the boy under me is the most handsome ever”** she said, remember the night before. 

**_“Are you sure?”_ **

**_“Uhum”_ ** _she hummed, **“I want you”**_

Gilbert put his hand on her cheek, bringing her to his lips. She tasted sweet like she did last night, she tasted sweet even after just waking up. Anne moved to sit on top of him, her legs in each side of him, she started to move on top of him, teasingly. His hands moved to her hips, he brought her down and moved her, slowly at first but then she started setting a faster rhythm. Her hands started traveling from where they were in his chest to the back of his neck, pulling slightly to the curls there. This lit something inside of him, quickly moving Anne to her back so he was on top now, never letting go of her lips.

 **“You are so beautiful”** he breathed, between kisses.

* * *

**“I slept with Gilbert Blythe”** Anne whisper-shouted.

 **“WHAT?!”** Cole exclaimed way too loud, making the people at the café look at their table.

 **“Three times”** She quickly covered her mouth.

 _I can’t believe I just said that,_ she thought.

 **“WHAT?!”** Diana and Cole said it together this time.

Anne hushed them, **“Everyone is going to know if you guys aren’t quiet!”**

 **“So you broke up with Billy finally?”** Cole said.

**“What do you mean _finally_?”**

**“Ah, don’t play dumb. I know you, you’ve wanted to break up with him for weeks”** He rolled his eyes, **“So? Have you?”** Anne shook her head.

 **“Anne!”** Diana shouted.

**“Shhh!!”**

**“You’re telling me you cheated on your boyfriend three times with Gilbert Blythe?”**

**“Well, I was just one time actually… three times in a row”**

Cole laughed, **“Wow. Kudos to you my girl, he’s hot as fuck”**

 **“I know right!”** Anne shrieked, **“He was so sweet with me and he’s such a gentleman”**

**“Well… not that much if he seduced you and made you cheat on your boyfriend three times in one night”**

**“He didn’t make me do anything, Diana!”** Anne whispered-yelled, **“I wanted to, and he even asked me multiple times if I was sure, and he knew I had a boyfriend –That I have a boyfriend-, and for your information, it was one in the night and two in the morning”** she crossed her arms over her chest.

 **“What are you going to do then?”** Cole asked, **“Are you going to break up with Billy and start dating Gilbert? Does he want to date?”**

 **“I don’t know we haven’t talked about it!”** She sighed, **“We- I don’t know”**

 **“Did he give you his number?”** Anne nods, **“Give me your phone... Gil? Really**?” he said, looking at the contact name.

**“Shut up”**

**Anne**

Hey

Gil

Wanna hang out today?

**“What are you doing?”** Anne asked, trying to grab her phone.

**“Texting him”**

**“What? No! Give it back, Cole!”**

**“He saw it already, just shut up. He’s typing”**

**Gil**

My place 8pm?

**“He said if you wanted to meet him at his house at 8… tonight** ” he added, **“I’m just going to respond for you”**

**Anne**

yES

Anne stood up and looked over Cole’s shoulder to what he was saying, **“You’re making me sound so desperate!”**

 **“Ah, please!”** Cole scoffed, **“Stop acting like you don’t want to lick all of him right now”** He said, making Diana laugh.

**Gil**

See you tonight beautiful

**“Look!”** He said, showing Anne her phone. **“He can’t wait to lick all of you either”**

 **“My god”** Anne sighed, **“I have a…date? Oh my god, I have a date, what am I going to wear?”**

**“Cole and I can help you with that”**

**“Not me, I have a sex date with this guy I met on grinder… don’t look at me like that, Anne is going to do the same but with sexy boy Gilbert Blythe”** he added after seeing his friend’s faces. **“Do me a favor Anne and take a picture of his back shirtless”**

**“If I do is going to be for my eyes only”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was not going to update today because I want to be at least three chapters ahead of you but I just couldn't contain myself so here's a new update and that means now I'm only two chapters ahead of you (not good).
> 
> I hope you're liking this! Tell me what you think please it really helps me a lot.
> 
> Next Chapter: Gilbert talks to his family about Anne (2019).
> 
> xo GingerSpirits.
> 
> P.D: I made a playlist for the fic because every chapter is going to be sort of inspired by a song, not every song in the playlist is going to be in this fic by the way and I might add some more.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/52iBmU6b8gVf5ucLSm1kAy?si=86ddp0viR2GgAE7hqo-GlQ


	3. +

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert talks to his family about Anne.
> 
> Title of the chapter from + by Aitana, Cali Y El Dandee (it's in Spanish). I recommend you listen to this song while reading if you want.

June 21, 2019

**“Guess who we saw today”** Gilbert says suddenly. Bash was cooking dinner, it had been two hours since Winifred and Gilbert got home, but he had not said a word in those two hours. Winnie was in the shower so he thought this was the best time to finally say something.

**“Anne”**

**“How do you know?”**

**“You were going to see her sooner or later”** he shrugged, **“and you’ve been very quiet…”**

**“Bu-”**

**“So, did he see Anne?”** Charlie asked, he was just coming home from the gym. Bash nodded, **“I won”**

**“What?”** He raised an eyebrow, **“Did you bet or something?”**

**“Kinda”** Charlie laughed, **“We bet how long it will take you to be sad about her again. I said a day”**

**“I’m not sad!”**

**“You are bro”** Bash laughed, **“You are really quiet and you never shut up, even less when you come from seeing Anne. You have Anne-fever again”**

**“Would you stop?”** Gilbert snapped, **“I don’t have ‘Anne-fever’. I don’t even want to see her and I bet she doesn’t want to see me either”**

**“Are you sure?”** Winnie asked.

**“Where were you?”** Charlie said.

**“I was in the shower”** She responded, **“Anyway. Are you sure? She seemed pretty sad when you said you didn’t have a reason to come”**

**“You said what?”** Bash dropped the wooden spoon he was using to stir the pasta sauce.

**“I said I didn´t have a reason to come back until Winnie said she wanted to come”** He shrugged, **“Which is true, you two are the only thing I have here and you visited me in Paris twice a year”**

**“But Anne is here”** Charlie added.

**“Stop it!”** Gilbert was shaking. His voice trembling **“She broke up with me. You know difficult it was for me these past years. Why do you keep bringing her up? Why do you keep doing this to me?”**

**“Hey, we’re sorry, babe”** Winnie put her hand on his shoulder.

**“You don’t understand anything”** He said between sniffs. Gilbert was trying his best not to cry in front of them, but he could not contain it anymore. Being back here, seeing her, his family turning against him, it was too much.

**“Then help us understand, brother”** Bash left the kitchen and went to sit next to him in the kitchen island. **“You know, you never told us why you guys broke up”** he said, putting his hand on top of Gilbert’s.

**“Because it’s none of your business”** He said, moving his hand from Bash’s and leaving to his room.

**“He has it bad”** Charlie sighs, both Winnie and Bash hum in agreement.

**“He really loved her** ” Winnie says.

**“He loves her still”** Charlie snorts, **“He loves her since that night at the party”**

**“What party?”**

**“He didn’t tell you?”** Bash asks, **“I thought he told you everything”**

**“Not about Anne”** She responds, **“He talked to me about her, how she was, what she liked, things they liked doing together, but he never actually told me- like… memories, I don’t know if that makes sense”**

**“Yes, it does”** Charlie laughs, **“What we know about her it’s because we saw it happening or the bare minimum Gilbert gave us. I know about the party because I was there”**

**“What did you see?”** Her eyes widen in terror.

**“Nothing”** he breaths out a laugh, **“I found her the morning after with him in his bed, then they kicked me out of the room… and then Anne came the next day, and they’ve been inseparable ever since…until the breakup, of course. I really thought he was going to marry her”**

**“Me too”** Bash laughed, **“Remember when he introduced her? My mom loved her immediately and John did too”** They missed Anne too, she was walking happiness, she truly shone bright and lit up every place she walked through. They had not talked to her much since they broke up, it was better that way, better for her, better for Gilbert and better for them. They lost enough people in their life already. It would stop hurting with time, or at least they hoped so.

Hazel Lacroix and John Blythe were business partners; they were constantly traveling the country for work, having the most successful construction company in the country took most of their time, but they still spent as much time as possible with their kids. Bash, Gilbert, and Charlie grew up together, they were practically brothers, and Bash had his own room at the Blythe house and vice versa.

On the night of November 25, 2014, their plane crashed, and that night three teenagers were left orphans. Bash moved with the brothers, his house was rented. This was their source of income, besides the big inheritance they got from their parents. Anne was there for them when they most needed someone; she was their sister –in law- and the flashlight that lit their way through the night. When Gilbert decided to go to the Sorbonne, Bash and Charlie thought they will have a long-distance relationship, and see each other a few times a year. Never in a million years would they have thought they were going to break up, out of nowhere, just the day before Gilbert left for Paris.

* * *

**“Ok, let's change the subject here because you two look like you’re going to go cry with Gilbert”** Winnie tried to joke, only making them chuckle a little.

**“I’m not hungry all of the sudden”** Charlie said and Bash nodded.

**“What if we watch a movie?”** she suggested, **“I have to admit I’m not very hungry either”**

**“Sounds good to me,”** Bash said, **“But please not Disney or something in Spanish. Gilbert is so annoying since Anne thought him Spanish he watches a lot of Spanish shows to ‘practice’ but my goodness, he won’t let me watch anything with him in English…only the news!”**

**“He keeps saying ‘Vaya par de imbéciles’ and I still don’t what he means”** Charlie adds.

**“I know right!”**

**“What a pair of imbeciles”** Winnie says.

**“What did you just call us?”** Bash crossed his arms over his chest.

Gilbert laughs, coming down the stairs. **“Vaya par de imbéciles, eso fue lo que les llamó”**

**“Bro stop”** Charlie groaned, **“English please”**

**“I said: What a pair of imbeciles, that’s what she called you”**

**“We know she called us imbeciles!”** Charlie exclaimed, annoyed. **“We want to know what ‘Vaya par de imbéciles’ means”**

**“What a pair of imbeciles!”** Winnie and Gilbert said in unison.

**“That’s what the phrase means in English, imbeciles”** Gilbert added, making Winnie laugh.

**“Ohh”** his brothers said.

**“How did you know what that meant?”** Bash asked.

**“He says that a lot, so I asked”** Winnie shrugged.

**“I call you imbeciles a lot”** He smiled.

**“We deserve it sometimes”**

**“Sometimes?”** They all laugh at this.

**“Most of the time…”** Bash says, his smile falling suddenly **“Hey, we’re sorry brother. We didn’t mean to upset you”**

**“It’s ok, I should be used to this. You guys tease me all the time”**

**“Yes, but we crossed a very… fragile line. We’re sorry”**

**“Yes babe, truly”**

**“Don’t make me cry”** Gilbert chuckled, trying to hold back the tears. **“It’s water under the bridge”**

**“GROUP HUG!”** Charlie shouted and they ran to Gilbert, who was not strong enough for the force coming to him. They fell on top of him, it did not hurt him though; he was feeling so good with his family very close to him –on top of him to be exact-. They laughed for a while until Winnie’s phone started ringing.

**“That must be Jerry!”** She stood up; pressing her knee to Bash’s back, making him groan in pain. **“Hi, love”** She said to her phone, going out of the room.

**“So…”** Bash said after a few seconds of silence **“Movie?”**

**“How about… Shrek?”** Charlie says.

**“Ugh, not Disney please”**

**“Shrek it’s not Disney!”** Gilbert says, **“Also, you’re both heavy as fuck. Get off of me”** He said, shimmy-ing them out of him.

**“Who said Shrek is Disney?”** Winnie asked, sounding offended.

**“Bash”** Charlie and Gilbert said in unison.

**“Don’t compare Shrek with Disney, Sebastian”** She shook her head, **“You know how the kids get with these kinds of subjects”**

**“I didn’t know!”** Bash argued, **“It’s practically the same fucking thing!”** his brothers gasped.

**“Don’t you dare!”** Charlie exclaimed.

**“Out of my house, Sebastian. Out, out, out”** Gilbert said, sounding like a child throwing a tantrum.

**“So,”** Winnie started, **“How long are you going to stay lying on the floor?”**

**“You should try it, Win”** Gilbert chuckled, **“It’s fun”**

**“No thank you, I’m good here”** She giggled.

**“What did Jerry say?”**

**“Oh, he was leaving for the airport”** she responded, **“He’ll be here tomorrow night!”**

**“Yeeeesssssssssss”** Gilbert shouted, **“My boyfriend’s coming”**

**“Hey, he’s my boyfriend”** Winnie argued.

**“Sure, Jan”** Gilbert teases, **“He loves me more”**

**“You are so annoying”** she rolled her eyes.

**“Want me to prove it to you?”** He said, taking his phone from his pants and calling Jerry.

**“What are you doing?”** Gilbert hushed her and puts his phone on speaker.

**_“Hello?”_** Jerry says, confused.

**“Hi, handsome”** Gilbert responds **, “How are you?”**

**_“Hello, beautiful”_** He quickly caught up on what his friend was doing, **_“I’m good, I’m on a taxi to the airport. Can’t wait to see you”_**

**“You know, Winnie is here and she keeps telling lies… I don’t know what’s wrong with her”**

**_“She’s saying she’s my girlfriend again?”_ **

**“Yes, baby and it’s so annoying. Please tell her something”** Gilbert pouts, making Winnie giggle.

**“Come on, Baynard. I wanna hear it if you dare”** She adds.

Jerry laughs, _**“Gilbert, I love you and only you. You know that. Don’t tell Winifred she scares me”** _he said, whispering.

**“What did you say?”** Winnie teases.

**_“Nothing babe, I love you. I’ll see you tomorrow”_** Jerry throws kisses over the phone.

**“WHIPPED!”** Gilbert shouts, sitting up from the floor.

**_“I gotta go, we’re almost here. Bye, love you”_ **

**“I love you too, handsome”** He teased.

**“I love you. Have a good flight!”** Winnie added, slapping Gilbert’s arm.

Jerry and Winifred were the only friends he had in Paris; they were already dating when Gilbert met them. Winifred is studying medicine with him at the Sorbonne, they became friends at the moment, she was the first person that spoke English to him, and she even helped Gilbert get a job at the newspaper Jerry was working on. Jerry is French, he worked for the Semaine, a very important newspaper in France; his job was to review the newest book every week, Gilbert was the photographer of the newspaper, not the best job or the best paid either –not that he needed one, he was practically rich-, but it kept him entertained.

Gilbert was not planning on coming back to Charlottetown or even Avonlea until he graduated, but Winnie convinced him, she was so excited to see his hometown, and Jerry is too whipped to argue with her. They have been planning this trip for months; the only thing he did not plan was seeing her, even less his first day back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You thought Winnie and Gilbert were dating? oops. Please tell me what you think, it really keeps me going!
> 
> Next Chapter: Anne and Gilbert meet. Part II (2013)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	4. Chiquita Suelta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne and Gilbert meet. Part II.
> 
> Title of the chapter from Chiquita Suelta by Giulia Be (it's in Spanish). I recommend you listen to this song while reading if you want.

September 18, 2013

Charlie loved parties, but he did not love the cleaning afterward. Who would have thought over a hundred people all in one house could make such a mess, cleaning the entire house would take forever and he was doing it all alone, now that his brother was pretty busy with Anne in his room, he could _hear_ they were busy. Charlie would not dare go again in his room, mainly for two reasons: he did not want to see his brother naked and he kind of owed it to him, Gilbert had to listen whenever Charlie brought any girl, he was not particularly quiet, which he noticed Anne was not either. Just as he thought of her, Charlie heard little footsteps coming down the stairs, like if someone was trying to sneak out without being noticed.

**“Anne you don’t have to tiptoe,”** Charlie said, without turning to look at her from the kitchen, **“I already saw you and my brother”** he turned to see the redhead standing at the end of the stairs with her clothes from yesterday in her hands, now wearing one of his brother's hoodies as a dress. **“I won’t say anything”**

**“Thank you,”** she said, her voice low

**“But you’ll have to do it soon”**

**“I know, I know”** She nodded, **“I didn’t mean for this to happen, but I don’t regret anything”**

**“Ew”** Charlie gagged, **“Don’t say it like that. I’m having war flashbacks… I heard you, Anne, you’re not quiet”** he added after seeing her confusion.

**“Sorry!”** Anne laughed, coming out of the door. **“I just like want my partners to know when I’m enjoying it”**

**“Out already!”** he exclaimed **“I don’t want to start picturing anything”** Anne giggled, closing the door behind her and leaving.

* * *

**“GILBERT BLYTHE!”** Charlie shouted, bursting into his brother’s room. He had waited around twenty minutes to make sure Gilbert was dressed when he got into his room. **“Talk,”** he said, sitting at the edge of his bed, then quickly standing up again, not really wanting to sit on his brother’s body fluids, which made Gilbert laugh. **“Come on… talk. You fucked Anne, a girl WITH A BOYFRIEND!!”**

**“Don’t say it like that!”**

**“What?”** He furrowed his brows, **“You made love to her?”** Gilbert’s cheek blushed, making Charlie laugh.

**“Shut up”**

He sighed, **“You’re in big trouble, my boy”** he started, **“Anne’s with Billy Andrews, in case you forgot. He could beat the fuck out of you”**

Gilbert laughed out loud to this, **“Please”** he said, dragging the first e. **“Andrews is a little bitch”**

**“You seem to know quite about him, don’t you? Did she talked to you about him?”**

**“She did, but he’s in my senior class if you don’t remember”**

**“Dude, his girlfriend just cheated on him with you and his in your class!”** Charlie groaned, **“Don’t you see the problem you’re getting yourself into? She was wearing your fucking hoodie, the one with your name in the back and she was with her dress from last night in her hands”**

**“She looked so beautiful in that dress”** Gilbert sighed. Anne was wearing a green velvet dress with black sandals, her hair half up and curled at the ends. **“Also, she wanted to wear that one and I was not going to say no to her”** he admitted, **“I don’t regret anything”**

**“Did you guys repeat that to each other this morning? She said the same fucking thing!”** Charlie gagged.

**“Maybe, I was just making sure… I didn’t do anything wrong”** he sighed, rubbing his eyes.

**“Trust me, you didn’t”** he snorted, **“She sounded like she was enjoying herself”**

**“Charlie!”**

**“What? She's so fucking loud, bro. I could hear her from the kitchen”** he said, **“Which reminds me… get up, we have a house to clean before dad comes tomorrow and we have school tomorrow too, so it’s now or never”** Gilbert groaned but got up either way.

* * *

Gilbert was considering killing his brother when he saw the house, at least the kitchen and part of the living room were clean, but the backyard, the game room, and the second-floor hallway was like watching the set of a scary movie. They decided Gilbert would finish cleaning inside the house and Charlie would clean the backyard and the pool, which looked like a swamp; he had to take all the trash out of the pool, which was a lot, before he could turn the filter on to clean the water, he was glad he could use the hose to clean the floor around the pool and also clean the grass.

Gilbert found a few pairs of underwear around the house and in places he did not want to even imagine how they got there, and also found his lost hairbrush under one of the couch’s cushions. Thankfully, nothing from the house was broken, he got scared when he saw some glass on the floor of the game room, but it turned out to be a bottle of vodka some dumbass dropped and it shattered all over the floor. He was just finishing with the game room and was heading towards the kitchen for a drink when his phone vibrated.

**Anne (3) messages**

_Oh my god_ , he thought and ran to the backyard. **“Anne texted me!”**

**“So?”**

**“What do I say?”**

**“What did she say?”**

**“I don’t know I haven’t read it”**

**“Then read it, idiot!”**

**Anne**

Hey

Gil

Wanna hang out today?

**“She asked if I wanted to hang out today,”** Gilbert said, excited. **“What do I say?”**

**“Do you want to-”**

**“YES”**

**“Then say yes”**

**“But how”**

**“Y-E-S”**

**“I know how to spell yes, Charlie!”**

**“Then do it”**

**“I’m nervous”**

Charlie groaned, **“Give me that,”** he said, taking his brother’s phone.

**Blythe**

My place 8pm?

**“What did you say?”** Gilbert asked and Charlie turned the phone to show him, **“Charlie! I sound like a fuckboy!”**

**“You are”**

**“I’m not”**

**Anne**

yES

**“My goodness, she’s so desperate”** Charlie chuckled, **“she liked your di-”**

**“Charlie!”**

**Blythe**

See you tonight beautiful

**“FUCK!”** Gilbert put his hands on his head.

**“Yes, that’s what you’ll be doing tonight”**

**“Shut up”** he pushed his brother aside to go back inside, **“Finish cleaning this, Charlie. I have to finish upstairs and then take a shower”**

* * *

_Hair up? No, down. If not he’ll think I’m trying too much_ , Anne thought.

**“Ready?”** Diana asked. Anne had spent the last two hours getting ready. Diana was there to help her, which cut her time getting ready in half. She finally settled for blue skinny jeans, a pink hoodie, and white superstars for the shoes. Usually, it did not take her long to get ready, but tonight was different, she felt guilty but so good at the same time, and that made her feel anxious and nervous because she was about to go to Gilbert’s house, with whom she had cheated on her boyfriend.

**“Uhum”**

**“Then let’s go. I’ll drive you”**

Anne’s house was not that far from his, it was only a fifteen-minute drive in which both girls had the music to the max to avoid the awkward conversation they might get into.

**“I can’t believe I’m helping you cheat on your boyfriend,”** Diana said after she parked in front of Gilbert’s house.

**“I’ll fix this as soon as possible… I promise”** Anne took her friend’s hand. **“I really like him, Di”**

Diana sighed, **“I know,”** she said, squeezing her hand. **“Go have fun…I guess?”**

**“Thank you, thank you”** she hugged her, **“I love you; I’ll tell tomorrow how it went”**

**“I love you”**

_Be cool, Anne. Chill_ , Anne thought, walking to the door and ringing the doorbell. She checked her phone _8:05 just a little late, perfect_.

* * *

Gilbert was freaking out, he changed his clothes seven times and every outfit looked exactly the same but just with different colored vans and some t-shirts had a pocket and others did not. He wetted his hair a bit and then shook his head fast so it looks curly as usual but a bit messy, like just got out of the shower.

**“Did you break your cologne bottle? Smells like a fucking perfumery here”** Charlie asked, pinching his nostrils. Gilbert might have used a little too much cologne.

**“Fuck off”** he opened a window so the smell would go a little.

**“Wow,”** he chuckled, **“Someone’s in a mood. You’d better change that or your date would not like that she’s walking happiness dude, so… happy face”** he said, putting his hands at the sides of his mouth to ‘smile’.

**“It’s 8:03 where is she?”**

**“Chill, It’s only been three minutes, she probably wants to be fashionably late. You know how women are”**

Gilbert scoffed, **“And that, my stupid brother, is why don’t have a girlfriend”** he said, patting his brother’s shoulder and then going downstairs to wait there.

**“Hey, you don’t have one either!”** Charlie called.

**“Yet”**

**“WHAT?”** he ran to the living room, where Gilbert was sitting on the couch waiting.

**“Are you deaf?”**

**“You said you didn’t have a girlfriend yet… what do you mean?”**

**“What do you think I mean?”**

**“She has a boyfriend, bro”** Charlie shook his head, **“You’re just the side chick”**

**“We’ll see abo-”**

The doorbell rings.

Charlie snorts when he sees his brother tense up, **“Should I open the door? You look like you got stuck”** Gilbert stood up and walked past him to get the door, **“Go get her, tiger. Rawr”** he moved his hand like a cat.

Gilbert sent him a death glare before opening the door, **“Anne”** he breathed out when he saw her.

**“Hi”** she smiled.

**“Hi, Anne”** Charlie cut in, **“How you doing?”** he winked, making Anne laugh.

**“Good, thank you”**

**“You can leave now, Charlie. This is not the nineteenth century we don’t need chaperones”**

**“Bye, Charlie”** Anne waved teasingly.

**“Bye, Annie. Don’t do with my brother something I wouldn’t do with him! Sex is one thing I wouldn’t do with him for your information”** he said going to the game room.

**“Don’t call me that!”** Anne yelled, making Charlie laugh.

**“Hey,”** Gilbert said almost whispering, and put his hand on her shoulder, immediately sending shivers down her spine. Anne turned her head to look at him, **“You look beautiful”** she looked down, trying to hide her blush. He then grabbed her chin and made her look at him; she looked at him shyly which made him raise an eyebrow questioningly.

**“You look beautiful too”**

**“Thanks”** He smiled, moving his hand from her chin to her cheek.

_He’s so beautiful my god, kiss me already._

**“Are you hungry?”** Gilbert asked.

**“A bit, yes”**

**“What do you want? We could order take out, I don’t want to scare you away with my terrible cooking skills”** she laughed.

**“I WANT PIZZA! HAM AND EXTRA CHEESY”** Charlie shouted from the game room.

**“I WAS NOT TALKING TO YOU”** He responded, his hand falling from her face to his pocket. **“Do you want pizza?”** she laughed and nodded, **“Ok, I’ll order some, and you can wait in my room if you want so Charlie doesn’t bother you. I mean- not that I only want to be with you in my room- I mean I want to is not that I don’t like you or anything is-”**

**“SHUT UP ALREADY!”** Charlie intervened again, **“You already got in her pants and she’s here isn’t she?”**

Anne laughed, **“THANKS CHARLIE, I could tell him that myself”** She turned to look at him, **“You’re cute. I understand, I’ll wait in your room, don’t worry”** She said, putting her hand on his cheek. Her voice low, so Charlie could not hear her. He smiled, she got on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on his lips before going to his room, **“Hurry, we have things to talk about”** he nodded, frantically.

* * *

When the pizza arrived, Gilbert gave his brother one of the boxes and went to his room with the other two. **“I was not sure how hungry you were so I ordered two just in case, don’t worry if you don’t eat it all, I can eat it for breakfast”.** He ordered two ham pizzas, one for them and the other for his brother, and another plain cheese pizza, just in case Anne did not like ham.

**“I eat a lot, yes, but I think half the pizza would’ve been enough for me,”** Anne said, looking up from her phone, she was scrolling through his Instagram while waiting for him.

**“Good, I have my breakfast for tomorrow ready then”** He smiled, **“Wanna go to the balcony? We can eat there. Also, I don’t really like to eat in my bed”**

**“Sure,”** she said, standing up and going to sit in the table outside in the balcony. **“So, I really need to talk to you,”** Anne said, once they were settled outside.

**“I know”** Gilbert sighed, looking down to his hands, **“But I have to tell you something first, please listen to me before you say anything else”** she looked at him, and did not say anything so he continued; **“I like you. Like… a lot, I don’t regret anything that happened yesterday and this morning, and I know you have a boyfriend, but you said you wanted to break up with him, and yesterday, talking to you, I don’t know, I never felt like that with anyone before. I needed to tell you this before you say… well, whatever you’re going to tell me”** he sighed.

**“I like you”** He looked up, to see her looking at him, smiling. “ **If I regretted anything that happened yesterday –and this morning-, I wouldn’t be here, trust me. I have to talk to Billy first, before I can be with someone else, I can’t keep cheating on him, he doesn’t deserve that. I’m already cheating on him by being with you right now… but I don’t want to be anywhere else, it just- feels right”** Anne confessed, he nodded. **“I’m going to talk to him tomorrow, it’s better that way. I don’t want to be with him anymore, but I do have to tell you this, I don’t want to jump into another –public- relationship right now, I like you, I really do, but we’re in high school and people are not stupid, they know something happened between you and me, and they are going to talk about us and I really don’t want that. Also, I know Billy won’t say anything to anyone; he respects me too much to say anything”**

**“It’s ok, I understand. We’re going to have to keep it low-key for a while and as long as we’re together after it, I’m all for it”**

**“Together after?”** Anne said, putting her hand out for him to shake. Gilbert laughed, and took it, sealing the deal.

**“Together after”**

They talked for hours about them, what they liked, what they disliked, their families, what they wanted to do after high school. Gilbert was going to study international business at Queens College, he was going to inherit his father’s company so he needed the preparation, he loved Disney –he also said she was the first person that was not part of his family to know that-, his favorite color was red and his favorite part of his body was his hair –she agreed-. Anne wanted to be a teacher and a writer, she had been studying Spanish for two years and she was pretty fluent –she was going to be Gilbert’s Spanish teacher, he asked her and she could not say no to that beautiful face-, her favorite color was navy blue and her favorite part of her body were her eyes. They asked each other some other random questions like “What’s your favorite food?” (Anne said lasagna and Gilbert said his father’s burgers) and “If you had to choose between drinking only water for the rest of your life or drink anything you want but it had to have a little drop of pee in it, which would you choose?” (Anne chose only water and Gilbert preferred to drink the pee because **“I can’t live without coffee”** he said).

At some point the conversation shifted, ending with an invitation to spend the night, which Anne gladly accepted. They only slept and cuddled, both promising they would not give in into their desires until she was free from any form of commitment to other men. Gilbert gave her one of his hoodies so she could sleep in, she was so small his hoodies fit her like a dress, which was good because he did not want to be tempted in any way, even though having her so close in his bed was already temptation enough.

* * *

September 19, 2019

The following morning, Gilbert drove Anne to her house so she could get changed; they agreed not to drive together to school so they would not raise any suspicions. Billy always waited for Anne at the school entrance, so she decided to tell him as soon as she got there, not wanting to wait any longer. He was heartbroken when she told him, but –like Anne thought he would- he promised not to tell anyone to protect her reputation, he loved her too much to do that to her. Unfortunately, someone overheard their conversation and the rumor –not really a rumor- that Anne Shirley had cheated on her boyfriend Billy Andrews with none other than Gilbert Blythe quickly traveled around the school. Once she got to her first class of the day she was welcomed with the judgmental looks of all her classmates, Diana told her everyone knew already which Anne could only respond with **“I just talked to Billy five minutes ago, how is this possible?”**

**“Josie Pye heard you talking to him”** her friend responded. Josie liked Billy for a long time, and when he started dating Anne, she basically swore to make her life impossible for the next few years of high school she had left. Anne started crying and ran out of the classroom to look for Gilbert. He was in class with one of Anne’s favorite teachers, Miss Stacey, who, to Anne’s favor, she was her favorite student.

Anne opened the door of the classroom and everyone turned to look at her, Gilbert's expression changed immediately when he saw she was crying. **“Miss Stacey?”**

**“Are you alright, dear?”**

**“May I please talk to Gilbert for a moment?”** her teacher turned to look at the boy, the concern clear on his face. Gilbert looked at Billy, who only looked down at his books to hide his face from the various eyes that were looking between Anne, Gilbert, Miss Stacey, and himself.

**“Sure”** She responded, very concerned, **“Gilbert?”** He quickly stood up and left the classroom behind Anne.

**“Are you-”** he was cut off, she suddenly hugged him and he put one of his arms around her shoulder, the other holding her head to his chest.

**“Everyone knows”** she mumbled to his chest, **“Josie Pye heard me talking to Billy and she told everyone, they know”**

**“Anne”** he breathed, holding her closer. **“I’m sorry”**

**“I should’ve talked to him in private. Now everyone is going to think I’m a slut”**

**“Hey”** he pulled her back a little to look at her, **“You’re not a slut”**

**“I kind of am, I cheated on my boyfriend”**

**“Then that makes me the homewrecker”**

**“No one is going to think anything bad about you, you’re the guy, is always the girls who are blamed,”** She said, angrily **“also you’re one of the most popular guys in school, everyone loves you”**

**“I’ll have to do anything in my power to make everyone love you too then, but I’m sure as soon as my friends meet you they’re going to love you just for being who you are”**

Anne chuckled, **“You are so cute”**

**“Does this mean we don’t have to hide?”**

**“I guess so”** she shrugged. Gilbert leaned to place a sweet kiss on her lips.

**“Good, I get to show you off”** Anne laughed, **“Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks about you, they don’t know you and they don’t know us. Ok?”** she sniffed again, nodding. **“I have to go to class, but I’ll see you later?”**

**“Yes”** she kissed him quickly again before he went back in, **“See you”**

* * *

September 20, 2019

**“Hey, Shirley!”** Gilbert called. Anne was putting some of her books in her locker. She turned to see him walking directly to her.

**“Hi, Gi-”**

He cupped her face and connected his lips to hers forcefully; she was taken aback for a second but then gladly kissed him back, he got on her tiptoes and cradled his neck, both of them suddenly forgetting they were surrounded by a lot of people.

**“What was that for?”** She asked him breathlessly after the pulled apart.

Gilbert shrugged, **“I just wanted to and you’re wearing my hoodie, I couldn’t resist”** Anne laughed and kissed him again.

They pulled apart when they heard someone –Josie Pye- say, **“They couldn’t even wait for poor Billy to heal”**

Gilbert turned to look at her, **“I’m sorry for him”** He said, **“But now I have her no one is going to stop me from showing her my love whenever I want, if she lets me, of course”** he turned to Anne and she gave him a quick kiss, **“Come on, I’ll walk you to class”** he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this was really long, but I just couldn't stop writing Gilbert and Charlie being brother and then I noticed I had written over 1.5k words, and Anne and Gilbert's part barely written... oh well, I hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> Next Chapter: Gilbert discovers something (2019)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	5. Un Año

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gilbert discovers something.
> 
> Title of the chapter from Un Año by Sebastián Yatra (It's in Spanish). I recommend you listen to the song while reading if you want.

June 25, 2019

Anne had not seen Gilbert, since she saw him for the first time in four years, at the bookstore, which is longer than she expected, she thought he would be everywhere to haunt her, not seeing him made her feel glad but sad at the same time, she had forgotten how much she missed him; his hair, still curly and messy, his eyes, hazel and beautiful, his jaw, sharp and splendid, his arms, stronger and fitter than before, his smile, bright and sweet, his lips, rosy and soft –or at least they looked soft-, his freckles, his lashes, his brows, his love, his… everything. She knew her luck was not going to last long, she knew sooner or later she was going to see him walking around town with his new girlfriend.

Gilbert, on the other hand, was trying to show Winnie and Jerry places around town that were as far away from Anne as possible, he did not want to see her again, he did not want to miss her again; he did not want to miss her ocean blue eyes, her hair of fire, her freckles that looked like the stars in the sky, her milky and soft skin, her full and pink lips, her welcoming and lovely smile, her kind expression, her wispy lashes, her little hands, her love, her…everything. Anne worked in Charlottetown, which was fifteen minutes away from Avonlea, and Gilbert decided to show his friends around Avonlea first before going to Charlottetown, he only got two extra days to avoid her, Avonlea was not a big town and did not have many places to show.

* * *

**“We have to go grocery shopping,”** Diana said. Anne was at work, so she thought it was the best time to talk to Cole.

**“Good, have fun”** Cole smiled.

**“No, we’re all going, Mckenzie”**

**“But why? I don’t like going to the supermarket and you and Anne love it** ” He groaned.

**“Anne needs to get out of this house, she only leaves for work and then comes back, she never leaves because she scared of seeing him”**

**“And you think grocery shopping will make her feel better?”**

**“Maybe, we have to go together and it’s a necessity so she won’t say anything about it, we’ll just go buy our groceries, and maybe we could even go have ice cream at the park or something later”**

**“Ok,”** Diana chuckles, **“What?”**

**“That was easier than I thought”** She smiles.

**“Only for Anne, she needs this,** ” He said truthfully, **“It’s going to be a long summer with him here”** he sighed, **“I really thought we’ll never see him again”**

**“Me too”** she admitted, **“Maybe this summer will help her open up about him to us and tell us what happened between them, and then she could move on with her life”**

**“I hope so. She still loves him, it’s unfair to Rayna, she’s with her but she doesn’t love her like she loved Gilbert”**

**“She’ll never love anyone as she loved him, but that doesn’t mean she won’t love anyone else again,”** Diana said, **“I just don’t want her to break her heart, like with Billy”**

**“She won’t”** Cole responded, certain. **“I think Anne learned from that situation”**

**“Let’s hope you’re right”**

* * *

Rayna is Anne’s girlfriend, she’s also one of Cole’s classmates and that’s how they met, they have been dating for almost a year, she is the first person she’s been with since Gilbert, well…

**“Gilbert”** Diana said; her plan did not go as she hoped. Everything was going well until Gilbert and his friends came to the ice cream shop they were at.

**“Hi Di, Cole. I haven’t seen you in a while”** he greeted, smiling. **“Hello, Anne,”** he said, finally acknowledging the redhead that was standing there too.

**“Hi”** They responded in unison.

**“Uh… these are Winifred and Jerry, I met them in Paris. I was just showing them around town”** Gilbert said after Jerry cleared his throat to remind him they were there.

Just as they were about to say ‘Nice to meet you’ a brunette girl came into the store, **“Hi, sorry I’m late. Oh, hi”** she said confused, looking at the three unknown people standing next to them.

**“Rayna”** Anne started, **“This is Gilbert, my…”**

**“Ex”** he finished for her. Everyone around them started to feel uncomfortable.

**“Yes,”** she breathed.

**“Is he the one you were with before me?”** Anne nodded. Diana and Cole shared a look, they knew Rayna likes to talk a lot, which was one of the things she had in common with Anne, but Rayna, unlike Anne, did not know when to stop talking. **“I thought his name was Billy”**

_Fuck_ , Anne thought.

Anne hoped Gilbert would not have caught what she meant, but he did. **“You got back with Billy after I left?”** he asked.

**“I-”**

**“I think we should go”** Winnie interrupted, nudging Jerry on his arm.

**“Yes, same”** Jerry agreed, grabbing Gilbert’s arm and going out of the ice cream shop.

**“I’m sorry”** is all Anne managed to say before they left. Gilbert only looked back for a moment, to see Anne standing there her mouth shut, looking at him. She could see the tears starting to form on his eyes, but she did not notice her eyes were doing that too until she felt the first tear running down her cheek.

Gilbert went straight to his room and locked himself in there as soon as they got home. Bash, Charlie, Winifred, and Jerry tried to get him out of there multiple times, all of them failing miserably each time.

* * *

* * *

June 27, 2019

**“Hi,”** Anne said.

**“Hi Anne, it’s been a while. Thank you for coming, really”** Charlie responded, letting her in the house. **“He wouldn’t talk to us, and I know I this might be weird for you, you know, going to talk to him, but I’m worried, he hasn’t eaten anything in a day”**

**“No problem”** she smiled, **“Where is he?”**

**“In his room”**

**“Can I go there? His girlfriend won’t mind?”**

**“Girlfriend?”** He asked, confused.

**“Winifred”**

Charlie tried his best not to laugh in her face but he failed, **“She’s not his girlfriend, they’re just best friends. She’s dating Jerry; do you know who he is?”** Anne nodded, Charlie only laughed more.

**“Shut up!”** She snorted, **“How was I supposed to know? She calls him babe!”**

**“I get your confusion”** He sighed loudly, calming his laughter. **“They’re best friends, practically brother, and sister. You have nothing to worry about”** Deep down Charlie knew he should not tease her about this, but he still considered her one of his closest friends even though they did not see each other that much anymore.

**“Fuck off”** Anne chuckled, punching his arm lightly and quickly leaving Charlie to go to Gilbert’s room, so he would not see her blushing. **“Gil?”** She knocked on his door.

**“He’s not here”** he growled.

**“Then who’s talking to me?”**

**“Nearly head-less Nick”**

**“Alright then”** Anne muttered, **“Sir Nicholas, would you let Gilbert know that Anne wants to talk to him when you see him?”**

Gilbert opened the door and stood there, looking at her. **“I thought you were Winifred”**

**“What made you think that?”** She teased, **“Was it my beautiful British accent?”**

Gilbert chuckled lightly, **“I guess I was not thinking clearly. Winifred wouldn’t have understood that reference, she doesn’t like Harry Potter”**

**“The disrespect!”** Anne gasped. They laughed for a second before Gilbert’s expression fell again, **“Hey, I need to explain myself”**

**“You don’t have to, we broke up. It’s really none of my business who you date; you can do whatever you want”**

_Ouch_

**“Please?”** She tilted her head to the side, **“I need to do this”**

He moved out of the way, letting her in his room. It looked exactly as she remembered it, of course, this is also the first time he’s been here too since he left so he couldn’t change it much. They sat at the end of his bed, Anne turned to look at him, but his eyes were fixed on the floor in front of him.

**“I need you to know that I didn’t break up with you because I wanted to go back with Billy. I loved you, Gilbert, I was 100% committed to you, Billy and I didn’t get together before you left, and I didn’t cheat on you with him. I know you well enough to know that’s what you’re thinking. I didn’t get back together with him, he was just… we were just having sex. I didn’t feel anything for him, I was not capable of feeling much after you left, I was trying to feel something, and he was just… there. What I did was wrong, I was not in the right state of mind when I realize what I was doing I ended it. I broke his heart twice, and he didn’t deserve it any of the times”**

They stayed quiet for a while, Anne had said everything she wanted to and Gilbert was still processing all the information.

**“If”** Gilbert sniffed and breathed, trying to get his thoughts straight. **“If you loved me, why did you break up with me?”**

**“Gil-”** she sighed, **“I already told you why”**

**“You told me _a_ reason”** He started, **“Not the real reason”**

**“I- I can’t”**

**“Why?”** She stood up; Gilbert grabbed her by the wrist. **“I need to know, Anne. Please”**

**“I’m sorry. I can’t”** She ran out of the room, running into Bash as she was trying to get out of the house.

**“Anne?”** He asked, concerned. **“Are you alright?”**

**“I just need to go, I can’t do this,”** she said quickly, going out of the house.

* * *

**“What did you say to her, Blythe?”** Bash asked, coming into his room.

Gilbert did not respond; he was in some sort of trance. He was singing softly to himself. **“ _Puede que pase un año más de una vez sin que te pueda ver, pero el amor es más fuerte_ ”** (Translation: a year might pass between every time I see you, but my love only grows stronger)

Bash did not say anything else and just left the room. **“He’s singing,”** He said when he got to the living room, where everyone was.

**“He’s trying to calm his nerves. I taught him that”** Winnie explained, **“He used to get anxious about stuff sometimes, so I told him to sing every time he feels stressed or sad, or whatever feeling his overwhelmed with at the moment. Do you know which song is he singing to?”**

**“Something in Spanish”**

Winnie tensed and crept to his room so she could hear what he was singing. **“He’s singing about Anne,”** she said when she got back to the living room.

**“How do you know?”** Charlie asked.

**“It’s this song called ‘Un Año’, it’s about a long-distance relationship, it literally has a line that says that it doesn’t matter the time apart, his love only grows stronger or something like that...”**

**“God”** Charlie sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. **“He’s got it bad, he needs to meet someone, it’s been four years”**

**“He needs closure, that’s what he needs,”** Bash said, **“He still loves her, they need to talk. They didn’t have enough time last time, they broke up the day before he left and clearly they didn’t have a decent conversation”**

**“Anne won’t talk to him,”** Charlie said, **“I can’t believe she even came today and I don’t know what he told her but you saw her face, she literally ran out of the house”**

**“I don’t like seeing him as that”** Jerry said. Winnie hugged him. They knew Gilbert had troubles of the heart, but Paris kept them dormant. When he saw her again, that little part of him that was asleep woke up. He thought he was over her, he did not think about her as much as he used to, he spent his first two years in Paris completely single, he did not kiss a single girl and even less had sex with any girl, his only release was provided by his old friend, his hand. After two years passed, Jerry convinced him to go out and have fun, he had a few hookups, but he did not feel anything for any of those girls he slept with.

**“He will be better”** Winnie assured him not completely sure if that was true, but she hoped so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Rayna, it's supposed to be a female version of Royal Gardner. Her name sounds like 'Reina' (in Spanish) which translates to 'Queen' so I thought that be a good name considering Roy has a very royal-like name (literally) and also their names start with an R. I hope you enjoyed this! Please tell me what you think, it really helps me a lot.
> 
> Next Chapter: Anne wants to feel something (2015-2018)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	6. Cuando Nadie Ve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne wants to feel something
> 
> Title of the chapter from Cuando Nadie Ve by Morat (It's in Spanish). I recommend you listen to the song while reading if you want.

August 30, 2015

Anne was lying on her bed, alone. She was not alone a few hours ago, her boyfriend Gilbert was with her, but then he left and she was now crying in her bed. Sleep was not an option, she tried to close her eyes and sleep, but the only thing she could see was his face; he was crying and begging, and she refused, that image replayed in her mind over and over, her mind was torturing her.

**“Good morning!”** Diana came into her room, going to open her curtains, **“Get up, we have two hours to get ready before we have to go to the airport”**

**“I’m not going,”** Anne said, her voice was raspy.

**“What do you-”** she stopped suddenly when she turned and saw the state her friend was in. **“Anne, what happened?”**

Anne could not contain it, she started crying again. **“We broke up”**

**“Why?”** she shook her head, Diana just sighed and sat next to her friend, holding her. **“I’m sorry”**

**“I love him so much”** Anne sobbed.

* * *

October 2015

Anne’s first year of college did not start the best way possible, she loved her classes, and they were the only thing keeping her from thinking about Gilbert. She did not have many friends at the beginning, but one day when she was going to her last class of the day she ran into a girl, well… they ran into each other, both girls very distracted with what they were reading that they did not notice someone walking right in front of them.

**“I’m so sorry!”** Both girls said at the same time.

Anne laughed, **“I’m Anne, with an e”**

**“Philippa”** The girl replied, shaking her hand.

**“What a wonderful name!”** Anne exclaimed, then quickly covering her mouth.

Philippa snorted, **“You can call me Phil”**

**“Alright”** Anne nodded, **“Phil”**

Philippa became Anne’s friend after that, they were studying the same Major, which both did not notice before because they had their heads always stuck in a book. It was nice to have a friend, Cole and Diana were still her best friends, she moved in with them to an apartment close to campus two months ago, but they had started to meet new people and she was alone. The first month after Gilbert left was the worst, her best friends had new friends even though they still spend most of the time together, she still felt lonely, and her relationship with her parents was not the best either; Philippa helped her feel a little less lonely, but she still was not feeling much. She was there, but her spirit was somewhere else, most of the time she would get lost in thought and not like she used to when she was little, she used to daydream about her future life, but know all she thought about was her past, she would search for the happy memories and tried to use them to feel something, anything, feeling happiness was the goal, but most of the time she went from feeling nothing to missing him.

After the first month, Anne started to go out more; going from her apartment to school and from school to her apartment was starting to bore her. One Saturday, Stella, a girl Philippa introduced to her, took Anne and her friends to a party on campus. Diana knew something was going to go wrong the moment she saw Billy Andrews was at that party too.

**“Anne”** He breathed, taking in the sight of the girl in front of him, **“You look beautiful”**

**“Thanks, you too”**

**“I look beautiful?”** Billy teased.

Anne chuckled, **“Yes”**

Anne did not know how it happened but after talking to Billy for a while, they started to make out in a corner without anyone around. She was not drunk, alcohol did not appeal to her anymore, so she was very sober when she decided to hook up with her ex in one of the rooms of the big frat house they were in. Billy was reluctant at first, but he knew he was not capable of resisting Anne Shirley, she was his first love. He completely lost it when she said to him **“Help me feel something, Billy. I know you can”**

Billy and Anne started having sex frequently after that night, his friends thought they were back together, but Anne’s friends knew this was just her way to forget about Gilbert. Anne did not think she was doing anything wrong, she kept her relationship with Billy strictly sexual, she never told him she wanted him back, but she did not deny it either. Diana and Cole talked to Anne about what she was doing; they specifically told her how wrong the entire situation was. They wanted the best for her, they wanted her to be happy again, but playing with someone’s feelings was not the right way to do that.

**“I can’t do this anymore,”** Anne started, **“It’s not fair to you, Billy. My heart still belongs to someone** **else”**

**“Damn it, Gilbert Blythe”** Billy softly chuckled, **“It’s ok, Anne, really. I hope your heart heals soon”** she could not contain it anymore, so she pulled him in and hugged him, **“I trust you, and you said he didn’t do anything to you, but you know me, Anne, and you know you can trust me. If he did something to you, tell me. I don’t mind going to Paris only to show him a piece of my mind”** Anne snorted, hugging him tighter.

**“I love you so much, Billy…platonically”** he chuckled at what she added.

**“I love you too, Anne… no further comments”**

That’s how Billy Andrews got his heart broken twice by the same girl.

* * *

September 2018

Anne was not crying for Gilbert anymore. The first year after he left, she used to cry herself to sleep every night. The second year, she went from crying every night to crying a few times a week, and then to crying every few weeks. In the third year, she was not crying anymore. She started to feel better slowly over the years, she went out more, she met new people and even started dating this girl, Rayna. She met her through Cole two years back, but they did not start dating until later. Rayna is tall, she has curly brown hair and hazel green eyes, and she is beautiful.

**“Hey, Anne!”** Rayna called, **“I wanted to talk to you”**

**“Hi, Ray”** She greeted, **“What’s up?”**

**“I like you and I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me?”**

**“Oh** ” Anne breathed, taken aback by the sudden question. **“Sure”**

**“Great! Friday at 7 pm?”** Ray said and Anne nodded, **“See you then, pretty”**

That afternoon, Anne went back to her apartment with the brightest smile on her face. Cole and Diana quickly noticed her cheery mood, Anne then proceeded to explain what had happened. The three young adults started to talk about the date and who was in charge of what regarding Anne’s look for the date; they settled in that Cole chose the outfit, Diana did her hair and Anne was doing her makeup.

Saturday morning, Anne woke up to the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen of their little apartment. This was all a scheme to make Anne come out of her room and tell them all about her date with Ray.

**“We kissed”**

**“YES!”** Cole exclaimed, **“MY RIGHTS!”**

Diana laughed, **“and… does this mean something?”**

**“We decided not to put a label on it yet** ,” Anne explained, **“we’re going on a second date this week and who knows, maybe I’ll have a girlfriend soon,”** she said, happily.

**“I’m happy for you,”** Diana said, truthfully.

**“I’m happy for me too,”** Anne said with a chuckle.

* * *

November 25, 2018

Ray and Anne started dating after four dates. Sadly, the day they were supposed to be celebrating their second month together, it was the same date that some people she really loved lost their family four years back. Anne still went every year to the cemetery to pay a visit to John Blythe and Hazel Lacroix. This year, Rayna went with her, it was not the happiest way to celebrate their two months together, but she knew Anne needed someone with her that day. Anne was sitting on the floor in front of their graves, crying softly, and Ray was standing a few meters behind her to give her privacy.

She felt someone putting their hand on her shoulder, it was Bash, and Charlie was behind him. Anne had not seen him much after she and Gilbert broke up, but the three knew they had an unspoken agreement to be there for each other when they needed it. She quickly stood up and hugged them both, the three of them crying in each other’s arms.

**“Anne?”** Bash said and Anne hummed in response. **“Thank you, you really are one of the best things that’s ever happened to our family”**

**“Your family is one of the best things that happened to me. I love you two a lot”**

**“We love you, Annie,”** Charlie said, hugging her tighter.

Anne chuckled softly, **“Don’t call me that, Charles”**

**“Listen to the queen, Charles”** Bash said, once they pulled back. **“It was really nice to see you, Queen Anne”**

**“It was nice seeing you both”** She smiled, taking their hands. **“You should learn from your brother here, Charles. He’s good at choosing nicknames”** Anne teased, making the boys laugh.

**“Will do, Annie”** he teased back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really short, I know, but the next two updates are going to make up for this short chapter I promise. Also, this chapter's song is about Billy's feelings. I hope you enjoyed this! please tell me what you think, it really helps me a lot.
> 
> Next Chapter: Anne is heartbroken (2019)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	7. L-O-V-E

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne is heartbroken.
> 
> Title of the chapter from L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole. I recommend you listen to the song while reading if you want.

June 29, 2019

Anne had listened to every love song she knew, everyone sounded so in love, she wanted that. _I could fall in love, I could_. Anne kept saying that to herself. Rayna is great, she is really great and she likes her, but love is a strong word. She wanted to be in love, in love with someone new, but every song she listened to it reminded her of the wrong person, someone from her past, _I should be thinking about Rayna,_ She thought.

_Love, L-O-V-E._ Anne knew this song word by word and like the over-thinker she was, she started analyzing the lyrics. It was like she lived the song, it described her perfectly, it described them perfectly.

_L is for the way you look at me… **and you look at me with your beautiful hazel eyes.**_

_O is for the only one I see… **and I see you, all of you, how could I not? Stop. I can’t**_

_V is very very extraordinary… **I’d say splendid, like your chin.**_

_E is even more than anyone that you adore… **adore? I can’t adore you, not anymore.**_

_Love is all that I can give to you… **but do you want more than that?**_

_Love is more than just a game for two… **it be easier if it were**_

_Two in love can make it… **even with an ocean in the middle?**_

_Take my heart and please don’t break it… **you didn’t break mine, but I broke yours. I’m sorry**_

_Love was made for me and you… **was it?**_

**“Why is this so complicated?”** Anne groaned. **“Why can’t I choose whom to love? It would be easier that way”**

_Love is not easy, is it were easy you'd still be with him._

**"Brain, stop it"**

_You miss him_

**"I do not"**

_You do_

**"I miss him"**

* * *

**Anne**

I’m sorry

Please

**Gilbert**

No

I’m sorry

I made you uncomfortable

I shouldn’t have said that

**Anne**

It’s water under the bridge

**Gilbert**

HEY

That’s my phrase, Shirley

**Anne**

;)

**Gilbert**

:|

**Anne**

Haha

I’ve missed you

Four years not talking to each other is too much

**Gilbert**

Agree

Friends?

**Anne**

Friends

* * *

* * *

July 5, 2019

4 pm

**“My goodness, Anne”** Rayna breathed, **“Where did you learn to do that?”**

Anne laughed, **“Nowhere. It’s all me”**

**“Woah”** they were panting, **“I knew I had the hottest girlfriend, but damn, this is some next-level shit, babe,”** She said, leaning to kiss her. Rayna deepened the kiss, ready for round two, her hands moving from her sides to Anne’s hips and pulling her closer. Anne started placing little kisses on her neck, sucking lightly, and moving to straddle her lap. A phone rings and Anne stops, it was Rayna’s. The brunette checks it and puts it back on the nightstand, ignoring the call.

**“Who is it?”**

**“No one”** Rayna responded, moving her head to give Anne access to her neck. It started ringing again.

**“You should get that”**

**“I’m busy right now”**

**“It could be important, who is it?”** Anne tried to grab the phone but Rayna stopped her.

**“Just a friend from class, it’s probably about homework. I’ll call later, don’t worry”** She put her hand on Anne’s lower back, bringing her down to kiss her. Anne reluctantly kissed her, trying to ignore the phone that kept ringing.

* * *

**Jane**

Cooooaaaaalll

**Cole**

Sup

**Jane**

Where’s Ray??

Do you know??

**Cole**

With Anne

**Jane**

I’ve been calling her

**Cole**

They’re…

Busy

**Jane**

Ew

I didn’t need to know that

**Cole**

I didn’t say anything

**Jane**

But you implied it

**Cole**

Whatever

They’re here at the apartment

I’ll tell her to call you

When they’re done

**Jane**

Thx

**Cole**

No problem

You owe me $1,000 for my services

I want cash

**Jane**

Not gonna happen

**Cole**

._.

* * *

5:23 pm

They were lying on Anne’s bed when she got a text.

**Jane Andrews (7) messages**

Anne thought it was strange; she had not talked to her in a long time. Not since she broke up with Billy, for the second time.

**Jane Andrews**

This is what you get for breaking my brother’s heart.

xo Jane

They were several pictures attached and a video. Anne opened it and you could hear Rayna moaning Jane’s name, and the pictures, she was laying on a bed naked with Jane’s hand on her chest.

Rayna immediately got up when she heard the video playing, **“Anne”**

**“Don’t”** Anne sat on the bed, her head hidden in her palms.

**“I can explain”**

**“Get out of my room”**

**“Babe”** Rayna begged, **“Please”**

**“COLE!”** Anne cried.

**“No-no-no.** **Don’t call him”**

Anne got up but her legs failed her and she fell on the floor, and cried louder, **“COLE!”**

Cole came running to her room, **“What’s wrong?”** he kneeled in front of her **, “Hey, hey, hey breathe Anne, breathe”** she was having a panic attack, **“In and out, remember? In and out”** he turned to look at Rayna, **“What happened?”** She just shook her head, not saying anything. Anne took her phone and handed it to him. **“What?”** she gestured for him to take it, he immediately saw it.

**“I’m sorry”** Rayna sobbed. **“Please let me explain”**

**“You should leave”** is all he managed to say.

**“Please, Anne”** Anne snuggled to her friend’s chest. Hiding her face, Cole hugged her tight against his chest. **“Please, Anne. I love you”**

Anne shook her head, **“Rayna, leave”** Cole snapped, **“Leave”**

Diana came running to the room a few minutes later, **“What happened? I saw Rayna, she said something happened but she didn’t say what- Anne!”** She hugged her friends that were on the floor, Anne still snuggled in Cole’s chest.

* * *

8:14 pm

**“Anne, please talk to us”** Diana begged. They were cuddling on Anne’s bed, Cole and Diana on the sides and Anne in the middle.

**“Is there anything we could do to help?”** Cole asked.

**“Unless you can build a time machine and take me back to 2014 again, I don’t think there’s much you can do”** Anne admitted.

**“What do you want to do in 2014?”**

**“I want to watch Monsters Inc. for the first time again”**

**“Do you want me to call them?”** Cole grabbed Anne’s hand and squeezed lightly. She nodded.

* * *

**Cole**

23-19

**Charles ;)**

Woah

That’s unexpected

Are you sure?

**Cole**

She asked for it

**Charlie ;)**

20 min

**Cole**

Bring the goods

And PJs

**Charlie ;)**

Gotchu

* * *

8:57 pm

**“You brought normal Reese’s!”** Cole gasped, **“Charles! Did you forget?”**

**“They were out of Reese’s pieces, sweetie”** Charlie mocked.

**“Did you at least bring her stuff?”**

**“Twizzlers and Sour Patch Kids, of course”** Bash said, coming through the door, showing Cole the shopping bag he was holding. **“And Snickers for Diana, yes”** he added before the blonde could say anything else.

Gilbert came in, also holding a shopping bag, **“This is for us”**

**“Where are your friends? The Frenchies”** Cole asked.

**“Date night,”** Charlie said, winking.

**“I don’t know what you’re suggesting, Charles, but I already told you… you’re not my type”**

Bash laughed out loud, **“God, Cole,”** he said, patting his shoulder, **“I’ve missed you”**

**“I’ve missed you too, all three of you,”** He said, looking between the men in front of him.

**“So, where’s the queen?”** Bash asked.

**“With the duchess, but the duke is not here today”** Cole added, **“So the court is not complete”**

Gilbert laughed, **“We’ll just have to do this again another time with Fred and ‘The Frenchies’,”**

**“That’s a great idea!”** Charlie exclaimed.

**“NO,”** Bash and Gilbert said in unison.

**“The fuck?”** Cole looked confused.

**“Oh, Cole”** Charlie put an arm around the blonde’s shoulder. **“You’ll know soon”**

**“Not gonna happen, little Blythe”** Bash warned.

**“We’ll see, Trini”** he rolled his eyes.

**“Alright”** Cole shrugged, still confused. **“Let’s go to the room, I’m sorry but this is not your big-ass house so we’ll have to watch the movie in Diana’s room,”** Cole said coming to the room; Anne and Diana were cuddling on the bed. **“If you want, you can bring my mattress and-”**

**“OH MY GOD!”** Diana shrieked, standing up abruptly from the bed. **“LET’S BUILD A FORT!”**

**“YES!”** Charlie and Gilbert agreed immediately.

**“What are you? five?”** Bash mocked them.

**“Shut up, Sebastian”** Diana said, grabbing Charlie and Gilbert’s hand and taking them out of the room to bring the materials so they could build the fort.

**“Hello, your majesty”** Bash bowed. **“May I?”** Anne nodded, patting the empty space next to her on the bed. Bash sat next to her and Anne moved to put her head on his lap. **“How are you feeling?”**

**“Like my girlfriend cheated on me with my ex’s sister”** Anne answered.

**“Oh well,”** He sighed, **“I brought your sweets and we’re going to watch every single Disney movie existing in that fort Di, little Blythe, and big Blythe are going to build until you feel better or we run out of movies to watch”** he reassured her, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

**“So,”** Diana started, coming to the room with a bunch of blankets in her hands. **“Bash, Cole, and Charlie, start building the fort. Use the little nail-thingies around my room to hang the blankets and bring Cole’s and Anne’s mattress from their rooms; Gilbert, bring Anne’s lucky PJs, you know where they are, and then start bringing the cushions and pillows from our rooms and the living room. Anne, you’re staying right where you are and I’m going to make something to eat because we can’t have sweets and snacks for diner. Understood?”**

**“No, repeat please”** Charlie teased. Cole grabbed a pillow from Diana’s bed and threw it at him. **“Dang, Mackenzie”**

**“Just like old times”** Bash laughed.

**“Ok, let’s go”** Gilbert clapped twice and everyone started to do their job.

Cole took the charge and made Bash and Charlie bring the mattresses from his and Anne’s room while he started with the blankets, Gilbert finished his tasks fast so he helped them finish the fort. Anne changed into her lucky PJs, Matthew gave them to her, they were blue and had little white stars everywhere. The four boys were not the best building forts which earned them a few comments from Anne like **“You guys really suck at making forts”** to which Charlie responded **“Then why don’t you come here and help us, Annie”** which earned him another pillow in the face, but this time by Gilbert. Anne stood up from the bed and went to her room, the boys thought Charlie had upset her but then she was back as fast as she left with white Christmas lights and then she started hanging them.

**“Happy?”** Anne asked mockingly, looking at Charlie and he laughed. **“It looks so much better now”**

**“It looks so much better now”** Charlie repeated, teasing her. Anne just glared at him, slowly taking off one of her socks and then throwing it at him.

**“23-19! 23-19!”** Anne shouted.

**“ANNE!”** he said before Bash and Gilbert tackled him. Cole and Anne were laughing out loud, making Diana come from the kitchen to see what was happening.

**“My God,”** Diana breathed, looking around her room. **“What the heck is wrong with you, guys?”**

**“Diana, don’t** ” Cole warned, **“We might have to throw another sock at you and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t like Bash and Gilbert to tackle you”** he laughed.

**“No no!”** Gilbert said, **“We wouldn’t either way, Di”**

**“He’s such a gentleman”** Charlie pouted, looking at his brother, earing –another- pillow to the face. **“STOP DOING THAT!”**

**“Stop being annoying”** Anne retorted, winging her eyebrows challengingly.

**“Look, Annie”** she glared at him. She really hates that nickname **“I can’t be annoying. I can’t because there’s a maximum of annoyingness in each friend group and you and Cole share it”** he said and quickly shielded his face with his arms, in case someone decided to throw him another pillow.

**“I disagree, Charles”** Cole crossed his arms over his chest. **“Anne and I are certainly annoying, but you and Fred are not that far from us”**

**“Don’t talk about my boyfriend like that when he’s not around to defend himself!”**

**“That’s true, Cole”** Charlie teased, **“It’s rude to speak like that about someone when they’re not around”** Cole put his middle finger up to him. **“Let’s continue this conversation on… Saturday, sounds good?”** he asked, everyone, looking at him confused, but Gilbert started to catch up.

**“Charl-”**

**“Party at our house this Saturday!”**

**“Are** **we sure were not traveling back in time at this very moment?”** Diana asked. **“Disney movie nights and party at the Blythe-Lacroix”** she laughed.

**“Just promise we won’t play spin the bottle or truth or dare ever again and I’m in”** Bash sighed, already knowing there was no way to avoid the situation.

**“Deal”**

**“Alright then”** Gilbert breathed, **“I guess we’re throwing a party”**

**“Finally! It better be good because I’m sick and tired of the stupid frat parties around here”** Cole exclaimed, **“Now can we start watching the movies?”**

They started watching Monsters Inc. as Anne wanted. Diana fell asleep halfway through it, but Anne was enjoying this time with her old friends and didn’t want it to finish, so they continued watching Disney movies until the only ones awake were Anne and Gilbert. After they finished the third movie they were watching, The Lion King, Gilbert’s favorite, they turned off the TV and went to sleep.

**“Night, Shirley,”** Gilbert said, settling next to Charlie. Anne and Diana were sharing the bed and the boys were sleeping on the mattresses on the floor.

**“Night, Gil”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing like crazy these few days, chapter 8 is almost done and it has over 3k words already. I probably won't post it until I have chapter 9 finished, just in case I want to change something. I hope you enjoyed this! please tell me what you think it really helps me a lot.
> 
> Next Chapter: Anne and Gilbert's first Valentine's Day (2014)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	8. Classic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's Day 
> 
> Title of the chapter from Classic by MKTO. I recommend you listen to the song while reading if you want... but maybe this time you'd like to start the song at the mark I give you.

February 14, 2014

_You are my fire. The one desire_

It was Valentine’s Day and Avonlea High School had the tradition of “Songs for your Lover” which meant you could pay the school choir if you wanted them to sing a song of your choice to a special someone.

_  
Believe when I say that I want it that way_

Anne was sitting in her usual place next to Diana in class, Cole sitting right behind them when the choir came in the classroom. Diana turned to look at her, thinking they must be here for Anne.

_But we are two worlds apart_

**“Watch this!”** Cole laughed. The choir walked and stood next to Charlie, who was in his usual corner, trying to hide from the teacher as much as possible.

_Can't reach to your heart when you say that I want it that way_

Charlie blushed as soon as he saw them walking towards him, then he turned to look at Cole who was laughing. Anne and Diana started laughing when Charlie put up his middle finger to Cole. **“You’re so funny, McKenzie”**

 **“ _Tell me why!_ ”** Cole sang with the choir.

_  
Ain't nothin' but a heartache_

**“ _Tell me why!_ ”** He said again.

**“You’re not funny!”**

_  
Ain't nothin' but a mistake  
  
_

**“ _Tell me why!_ ”** Cole, Anne, and Diana sang together.

 **“Not you too”** Charlie groaned.

_I never want to hear you say  
I want it that way_

The choir finished the song and the entire class clapped. Anne, Cole, and Diana were laughing, and Charlie was looking at them with a deathly glare. **‘I’m gonna kill you’** he mouthed to Cole.

**“What was that, Charles?”**

**“I said that I really liked the song, the Backstreet Boys are my favorites, thank you so much,”** he said, sarcastically.

 **“I thought so, you’re welcome, cutie”** he winked and Charlie laughed, rolling his eyes.

* * *

At lunch, the group sat in their usual table, it in the middle of the cafeteria, which was perfect for the occasion. Everyone was happy that this year, Valentine’s Day was on Friday, which meant they could party without worrying about school the next day. The group was enjoying their lunch when suddenly Gilbert’s hockey teammates came walking to the table each of them handing Anne a white rose, she ended up with a dozen roses on her hand.

 **“Woah, Anne!”** Charlie gasped, **“Seems like you have admirers”** Anne turned to look at Gilbert, question in her eyes.

 **“What?”** He teases.

 **“Bubs!”** Anne scoffed, **“You did this!”**

 **“Who told you that?”** Gilbert laughed, **“ _Hey! Where's the drum?_ ”** he shouted. A guy on top of a moving platform came playing the drums **“Oh, there”** he chuckled.

 **“What the fuck is going on?”** Cole gasped. Then a guitar started playing, **“I love this song!”** he exclaimed.

[PLAY THE SONG]

 **“We’re in High School Musical!”** Diana shrieked. **“Gilbert, sing!”**

 **“If you insist”** He cleared his throat and stood up, another boy came running to him and handed him a microphone. **“ _Ooh girl you're shining like a 5th avenue diamond_ ” **he started singing.

 **“IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING?”** Cole laughed. Diana nudged him and told him to shut up.

 ** _“And they don't make you like they used to, you're never going out of style”_** Gilbert grabbed Anne’s hand and kissed it quickly. **_“Ooh pretty baby, this world might have gone crazy”_** Anne blushed, **“ _The way you saved me, who could blame me when I just wanna make you smile”_**

Two of the school cheerleaders came dancing through the doors **“ _I wanna thrill you like Michael, I wanna kiss you like Prince”_** the girls stood next to Gilbert and started dancing, and he just moved side to side to the rhythm. _**“Let’s get it on like Marvin Gaye like Hathaway write a song for you like this”**_

 **“He’s so good!”** Diana smiled.

 **“Only singing though”** Charlie laughed, moving slightly to the rhythm.

 ** _“You're over my head, I'm out of my mind”_** He grabbed her hand again and brought her to stand in front of him. **_“Thinking I was born in the wrong time”_** he twirled her around **“ _One of a kind, living in a world gone plastic”_** Anne started bobbing her head to the rhythm **“ _Baby you're so classic”_** Gilbert sang, Anne grabbed his free hand and kissed it. **“ _Baby you're so classic”_**

 ** _“Baby you, Baby you're so classic_** **”** The group sang together as the song was coming to an end.

Anne did not care they were surrounded by almost the entire school; she grabbed his face and brought him down to kiss him. **“I love you so much, Gilbert Blythe”** she breathed, her eyes started to water and a tear came rolling down her cheek. He quickly kissed it away. She turned her face and kissed him again, softly and sweetly.

 **“I love you”** he smiled.

 **“Bubs,”** Anne said, flabbergasted. **“How did you do all this?”**

**“I had to pay the band, of course, my teammates accepted when I asked them –they also had no other choice since I’m kind of the team captain- and the cheerleaders, Ruby and Tillie, they’re dating Moody and Paul, they’re on the team with me too, I just had to ask them to convince their girlfriends… which cost me a double date for them, but it was worth it. Also, Miss Stacey helped convince the principal so I wouldn’t get in trouble for this, and yeah, did you like it?”**

**“Are you serious?! I loved it”** She beamed at him, **“Thanks. I love you”**

 **“I love you more, bubs”** he leaned and kissed her, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her up, her arms around his neck, keeping him close to her.

 **“Enough you two”** Cole clapped, **“You don’t eat bread in front of hungry people!”** They laughed.

 **“What the fuck does that even mean?”** Charlie furrowed his brows.

 **“It means that I’m single as fuck, Charles!”** He hit him in the arm. **“And seeing them all lovey-dovey makes me wanna cry”**

 **“Cole you’ll find someone soon”** Anne assured him, taking her seat at the table again. **“The love of your life is probably right in front of you and you just haven’t noticed”**

 **“The only single man close to me is Charlie and no thanks”** Cole shook his head.

**“Hey!”**

**“Ah, come on Charlie is not that bad”** Gilbert added.

 **“Charlie is right here in case you didn’t notice”** Charlie waved his hand over his head, **“And thanks, bro,”** He said and Gilbert nodded solemnly.

Cole scoffed, **“You’re too straight for me, pretty boy”**

 **“So you think I’m PRETTY”** His voice was three pitches higher when he said that last word.

They kept talking while Anne and Gilbert were confirming their plans for the night. They were going on a surprise date Gilbert planned and after that, they were going to the Valentine’s Day party Charlie was throwing at their house, this time his father knew so Gilbert was not worried about it. They had the house all for themselves since their father preferred going to sleep in a hotel so he would not bother his kids.

 **“Hey, guys!”** Fred walked to their table, **“Sorry I’m late. I ran into the ogre while I was walking here and he gave me what felt like a 20-minute lecture about how I should look where I’m going so I don’t run into people”** he groaned.

 **“Mr. Phillips must have something up his ass”** Charlie rolled his eyes, **“Why is he always so dislikeable?”**

 **“Probably because he doesn’t have something up his ass and he’s frustrated”** Cole laughed.

 **“Are you suggesting he’s gay?”** Fred asked.

 **“Or bi?”** Diana added.

 **“Of course he is”** Anne chimed in, **“He’s gay and homophobic. It must be awful to live in his shoes”**

 **“Anyway”** Cole shook his head, **“Fred, you just missed the event of the year”**

**“I heard someone singing from the hallway, who was it?”**

**“The one and only… Gilbert Blythe”** Charlie clapped and Gilbert shifted in his seat, smiling proudly to himself.

 **“You did?”** He laughed.

 **“Don’t laugh, it was cute!”** Diana defended him.

 **“Damn, Blythe”** Fred laughed, **“You always make other boyfriends look bad,”** He said, coming behind Diana and kissing her cheek before sitting next to her. Anne nodded and turned to look at Gilbert, he was already looking at her, smiling; she quickly kissed his cheek and turned back to their friends.

 **“He wanted to sing The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson but it was not appropriate”** Charlie added.

 **“Gilbert Blythe singing about sex and a girl that turns him on?”** Cole gasped, putting a hand on his chest.

 **“That wouldn’t have been so classic”** Charlie laughed, **“Get it?”**

 **“Yes, Charles. We got it”** Cole patted his shoulder. **“Try again later”** he mocked him, and the group started laughing. Charlie looked annoyed for a second but then he joined them laughing.

* * *

7:24 pm

This was their first Valentine’s Day together. Gilbert was making some last minutes arrangements at the date location and making sure everything went according to plan, he was certain he had planned the most romantic evening, after all, it was their first Valentine’s Day in it had to be very special. Anne was getting ready, she decided to wear a casual but classy outfit, so she would look dressed enough for her date but not too much for the after-party. She put on her favorite black high-waisted skinny jeans that accentuated the natural curves of her body with a cherry red top and black platforms, her hair was like the day she and Gilbert got together, half up and the ends curled.

**Gil <3**

Bubs

I came to pick you up but your parents said you’re not here

Are you at Green Gables?

**AnnE**

Yes

I’m sorry

I forgot to tell you

**Gil <3**

It’s ok

I’ll be there in five

Love you

**AnnE**

Love you

It took less than five minutes to Gilbert to go from the Shirley household to Green Gables. Anne opened the door and waited for him at the porch when she heard his car coming through the gate. He got out of the car holding a little bouquet of orange daisies. Anne smiled and started to walk towards him. Gilbert was wearing his usual black jeans and black vans but this time he styled it with a white short-sleeved dress shirt that looked a bit tight around his arms, accentuating his strong, hockey-player arms.

 _What a sight_ , Anne thought.

 **“Happy Valentine’s Day, Anne-Girl,”** He said, holding out the bouquet for her.

 **“Happy Valentine’s Day, Gil”** She kissed his cheek, and Gilbert pouted.

 **“Kiss, kiss”** he begged. Anne chuckled softly and gladly obliged. Kissing Gilbert Blythe was one of the best feelings she had experienced in her life, it was always so warm and full of love, she loved the way he nibbled on her lower lip and how her tongues dance together, and how no matter how many times they kissed she always wanted more, his kisses were addicting, like her own kind of heroine, kissing someone you loved was truly the best.

 **“Happy now?”** She asked, he shook his head and leaned down to kiss her again.

 **“Happier now”** He smiled, **“Are you ready?”**

 **“Yes, just let me tell Matthew and Marilla I’m leaving. Ok?”** He nodded.

Anne had already told him about her parents. Walter and Bertha Shirley looked like the perfect couple to an outsider’s eye, but it was not so lovely and beautiful inside the house. Anne’s parents fought a lot; she did not know how they were still together. Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert were Anne’s godparents, and also her neighbors, they were siblings that never got married and lived together in their farm, which, by the way, Anne completely adored. The Cuthberts were aware of the situation with the Shirleys and did not mind at all if Anne wanted to spend a few days with them to escape the situation at her house. They had given Anne her own room at Green Gables and bought clothes for her to have there, in case it was an unplanned visit. Gilbert was one of the few people, along with Cole and Diana that knew about Anne’s family life. He also knew not to bring up the subject that much because it made her sad and seeing Anne Shirley sad was one of the worst experiences he had to live, that’s why he uses all he has to make her happy every minute he can and he plans to keep doing that as long as she lets him.

 **“Done,”** Anne said, closing the front door behind her. **“Where are we going?”**

 **“Good try”** He smiled, shaking his head. **“I already told you, it’s a surprise”** Gilbert responded, wiggling his eyebrows.

 **“I had to try”** She shrugged.

 **“You have to put this on, so you can’t see”** he showed her a green scarf.

**“Are you kidnapping me?”**

**“No, but thanks for the idea”** He teased and Anne hit him playfully in the arm.

**“Possessive much, Mr. Blythe?”**

**“What can I say?”** He shrugged, **“That way I can have you with me all the time”**

 **“Oh, you wouldn’t want that”** She shook her head, **“I can be pretty annoying sometimes”**

 **“Sometimes?”** She swatted his arms playfully, **“Alright, alright. Put this on so we can go, Miss Shirley”**

* * *

**“You’re not seeing anything right**?” Gilbert asked, holding her shoulder and starting to walk towards the entrance of the building.

 **“I’m not seeing anything I swear!”** Anne said, annoyed, it was like the fifth time he asked that.

 **“Ok, ok”** He chuckled, **“Just making sure”** he pressed the button for the elevator. **“Careful,”** He said, helping her get in.

 **“Are we on an elevator?”** She asked, and Gilbert hummed in response. **“What the fuck?”**

 **“Hey, missy”** He gasped, **“No cursing on our date”**

 **“Whatever, asshole,”** She said, making Gilbert laugh out loud.

 **“We’re here,”** He said, letting go of her. **“You can take that off now”**

Anne took off the scarf and I took a minute to her eyes to finally realize where they were. **“Gilbert”** she gasped.

**“Do you like it?”**

They were at the rooftop of John Blythe’s company building. Gilbert had set a table with a few different sweet and salty treats –like a picnic- and the table was lit by fake candles –the ones that have batteries-, he was scared something could catch on fire **“Better be safe than sorry”** he said to himself when he was finishing the last minute arrangements. The view was amazing, The Blythe Tower was one of the biggest buildings in Charlottetown, and you could see everything up there.

 **“I love it”** She breathed, and turned to look at him. **“You are really something else, Gilbert Blythe”** Anne chuckled. **“I love you”** Gilbert smiled, and started walking slowly towards her, his hands on his pockets.

**“Say that again, please?”**

**“I love you, Gilbert Blythe”**

**“I think I might never get tired of hearing that”**

Anne giggled and turned his back on him, running close to the edge of the building. **“I LOVE GILBERT BLYTHE!”** She shouted.

 **“GILBERT BLYTHE LOVES YOU** ” He shouted running towards her, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around.

* * *

It was around midnight when they got to his house. There were not as many people as in the last party Charlie threw, but there was still a fair amount of people. Anne and Gilbert walked around the house, looking for their friends. They found them outside, sitting in one of the tables by the pool. Charlie was making out with a blonde girl in a corner of the pool, far enough so his friends would not hear the noises; Bash, Diana, Fred, and Cole were talking and drinking.

 **“My love!”** Diana shrieked.

 **“Yes?”** Fred asked.

 **“Not you, Anne!”** She stood up and ran towards Anne.

 **“Baby!”** Anne squealed, letting go of Gilbert’s hand and jumping to Diana’s arms, putting her legs around Diana’s waist. Gilbert chuckled; he was already used to their public displays of affection towards each other.

 **“Good,”** Charlie started, coming to the table, the girl already dismissed. **“Now that you’re here we can play truth or dare”**

 **“Why were you waiting for us?”** Gilbert asked, sitting next to him in one of the deck chairs, bringing Anne to sit on his lap.

 **“Because it’s way more fun with a lot of people”** He responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. **“Use the app so it picks us randomly and we don’t have to use a bottle”** Diana downloaded the truth or dare app on her phone. It started too easy and pure for Charlie’s liking, so he took Diana’s phone and turned on the option for 18+. **“Anne!”** He called, **“Truth or dare”**

**“Truth”**

Charlie laughed, “ **Ok, the best orgasm you’ve ever had?”** he read, “ **You have to answer, Annie”**

 **“Don’t call me that”** She threatened, pointing him with her finger. **“I thought you didn’t like hearing about Gilbert’s and I sexual life, Charles”** She teased, **“Best orgasm _yet_ was”** she looked at the time in her phone, **“About an hour ago at the top of your father’s building”** Gilbert smiled proudly and kissed her.

 **“No further questions, thanks, Anne”** Charlie cleared her throat and handed her the phone.

**“Fred, truth or dare”**

**“Dare”**

**“Lick the chest of the person to your right”** She laughed, **“Open your shirt, Bashie Bashie”**

 **“I hate this game already”** Bash groaned.

 **“Cole”** Fred read after completing his dare. **“Truth or dare?”**

**“Dare, duh”**

**“Give Gilbert a peck”** He read smugly.

 **“YES!”** Cole exclaimed, **“My rights! Sorry, Anne… just a peck?”** He asked and Fred nodded. He huffed, walking over to them; he grabbed Gilbert’s face and gave him a quick peck.

 **“Thanks, Cole”** Gilbert laughed.

 **“Call me”** He winked and grabbed the phone. **“Charles Blythe, truth or dare”** he read dramatically.

 **“Truth, Cole McKenzie”** he responded, just as dramatically.

 **“Pussy”** He scoffed, **“Strangest place you’ve had sex in”**

**“On an airplane”**

**“Dude”** Gilbert hit him in the arm, **“With the Spanish girl?”** Charlie nodded, **“You have to be kidding me. That must have been fast then you left for like five minutes”** He laughed.

 **“Fuck off”** Charlie rolled his eyes, grabbing the phone **“Di, truth or dare”**

**“I’ll do dare”**

**“French kiss Anne”** He read, **“yes please, I love this game”** Diana smiled and stood up. Anne sat straight on Gilbert’s lap, Diana grabbed her face and brushed their lips lightly, putting up a show for the boys, she finally broke the little distance and connected their lips forcefully, Anne bringing Diana down with her, her back was now on Gilbert’s chest and Diana on her chest. They pulled back after a minute.

 **“Damn, Diana”** Charlie gasped, **“It said French kiss, not fuck each other with the mouth,”**

**“My best friend is so hot, I’m sorry”**

**“Don’t apologize, I wouldn’t mind if you did that again”** Gilbert glared at him, **“What? That was hot”** Charlie said, putting his hands up defensively.

 **“Thanks,”** the girls said in unison. Charlie gave the phone to Diana and they continued the game. Bash had to striptease, Cole shared his worst sexual experience, Charlie had to jump to the pool, Anne had to give Cole a lap dance, Diana had to list every single person she has seen naked, Fred had to jug the rest of the vodka bottle, Gilbert had to say which was his biggest turn on ( **“When she nibbles on my earlobe”** He groaned, **“I lose it”** ) and so on.

Anne turned to face Gilbert, **“You just said that because I do that to you”** she whispered, he nodded **“you smart boy”** Anne moved slowly and started kissing his neck, going up to his ear in painfully low speed and doing that same thing he liked so much, then moving to his mouth and kissing him, biting his lower lip. Gilbert moved his hand to cup her face and she grabbed a fistful of his shirt. **“Let’s go to your room”**

**“Yes, please”**

They said goodbye to their friends and started walking to his bedroom, Gilbert stood in place for a second when they reach the top of the stairs.

 **“Why are you looking at that girl?”** Anne asked, starting to get angry.

 **“Bubs,”** He started, **“She looks like an older version of Boo”**

**“Boo?”**

**“The little girl from Monsters Inc?”** He questioned, **“Seriously, bubs?”** Anne just looked at him, wide-eyed.

 **“YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED IT?”** He gasped, **“You have to be kidding me, Anne Shirley!”** Anne laughed, he looked genuinely shocked.

**GC: Charles’ servants**

**Blythe**

ANNE HASN’T WATCHED MONSTERS INC

**Charlie**

DUMP HER

SHE HAS NO RIGHTS

**Cole**

Was that?

**Blythe**

YOU TOO??????????

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE

**Bubs <3**

You really want me to go?

**Blythe**

OK NO

Tomorrow we’re watching it

YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT

ALL OF YOU

**Di**

Kk

**Fred**

Alright

**Bash**

Ugh

Kids

**“Can we go back to what we were doing outside?”** Anne asked, grabbing his shirt and pushing him inside his room.

**“Eager much?”**

**“You have no idea”** She growled, “ **I felt you under me when I was kissing Di and you felt happy about the situation under there, bubby”** She teased.

 **“You were rubbing your ass on me, bubs**!” He shrugged, **“little Gilbert is sensitive, especially when it comes to you”**

 **“Did you just call it ‘little Gilbert’?”** Anne asked, amused.

 **“Maybe…”** he said, putting his hands on her waist and bringing her closer to him.

 **“Let’s help little Gilbert release tension then,”** She said, moving her hand slowly from his chest to his waistband.

* * *

* * *

February 15, 2014

 **“GOOD MORNING!”** Gilbert exclaimed, coming to his room with a paper bag and a cup on his hand, he walked over to his windows and drew the curtains. Anne groaned and turned around. **“Wake up!”** He shook her, sitting next to her on his bed. Anne put the covers over her head to hide from him **“Bubs”** He pouted even though she could not see him, she must have heard it in his voice because she sighed tiredly, moving the covers, and looked at him, one eye closed and the other barely open. Gilbert smiled at her widely, like a little kid on Christmas morning. **“Good morning”** he repeated, this time lower, and coming to plant a little kiss on her forehead.

 **“Good morning,”** Anne said, closing her only open eye.

 **“Bubby, wake up”** He whined.

 **“Come cuddle with me”** she mumbled, reaching for him. He sighed, knowing he could not say no to her; he accommodated himself against the headboard, Anne moved so her head was now on his chest while he put his arm around her and started playing with the ends of her hair. **“What time is it?”**

“ **10 am”**

 **“We went to sleep at 4 am”** She whispered, **“How are you so awake and happy?”**

 **“I’m awake because coffee and happy because I can’t ever be sad when I’m with you”** Anne smiled, her eyes still closed. Gilbert looked down at her for a couple of minutes, he was pretty sure she had fallen asleep again. **“I brought you bagels and your favorite coffee”** She opened her eyes widely.

 **“Semi-skimmed milk, 1/3 coffee and 2/3 chocolate with two sugars**?” She questioned. Gilbert hummed, smiling. **“Gimme, Gimme”** He laughed and got out of bed, grabbing the paper bag and the coffee cup he had put on his desk and handing it to her.

 **“We have to go to the supermarket to buy snacks for tonight,”** He said, settling next to her again.

 **“For tonight?”** She asked, digging in her bagel.

 **“I’ve officially called a Disney movie night so you watch Monsters Inc.”** Anne laughed. **“It’s not funny, bubs. I can’t believe you haven’t watched it. That’s so rude of you”**

**GC: Charlie’s servants**

**Blythe**

Remember

Disney movie night tonight

What do you want?

Bubs and I are going to buy snacks later

**Charlie**

bUbS ANd i aRE gOinG tO bUy snACkS lATer

**Blythe**

Alright then

Nothing for you

**Di**

I want snickers

**Cole**

Reese’s pieces

NOT the normal ones

P I E C E S

 **Bas** h

Is assistance mandatory?

**Blythe**

Yes

Unless you don’t want to be admitted to my house ever again

**Bash**

I want onion pringles

**Cole**

Ew

**Charlie**

I want those salty red chips

I don’t remember the name

**Blythe**

K

After that night, Monsters Inc. became one of Anne’s favorite Disney movies; Little Mermaid was still at the top though. Gilbert made everyone in the group swear whenever he or anyone else texted ‘23-19’ it was mandatory to come and watch Disney movies. Most of the time it was him texting that, but no one dared to say anything.

**GC: Charlie’s servants**

**You changed the group chat name to Mike Wazowski rocks**

**GC: Mike Wazowski rocks**

**Charlie**

I liked the other name better

**Cole**

No one cares

**Bubs**

I love it

**Blythe**

Thx bubs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few things to say:  
> 1) Yes, that "I want it that way" serenade was completely inspired by To All The Boys P.S. I Still Love you, the movie.  
> 2) Let's just pretend truth or dare apps were as good in 2014 as they are right now.  
> 3) Sorry if I used the pet name bubs/bubby too much, I just love it.  
> 4) Gilbert is a good singer. He's not the best dancer though.  
> 5) Tell me things you'd like to see in the following chapters. I have stuff written but it's not that much to even be considered a chapter, so... if there's anything you want to see, tell me and I might write it. I'm not making any promises though.
> 
> I hope you liked this! please do tell me what you think, it helps me a lot!
> 
> Next Chapter: The Party (2019)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits
> 
> P.S: remember to stay home healthy and drink water!


	9. Don't Start Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Don't Start Now by Dua Lipa.

July 6, 2019

Gilbert woke up first, he shimmied out of Charlie´s embrace, his little brother was quite the cuddle-er and made his way to the kitchen of the little apartment, his limbs sore from sleeping in the same position the entire night.

Anne was better, or at least she seemed like it, watching Disney movies were something that always cheered her up –maybe Gilbert rubbed off on her a bit-. Now that she was fine, the night before was coming to bother him. He was there in his ex’s apartment, somehow he managed not to think about it the night before, but now there’s nothing to stop his mind, all the touches, the goodnights and good mornings, and the I love yous this place had given him. The last time he was here, he left with his heart broken; the love of his life broke up with him in this apartment, behind that door next to the kitchen, in her room. Being here, he suddenly felt like he could not breathe, and like he was breathing for the first time in four years at the same time. She was so close yet so far. He was so happy to be with her, but he was also sad that he was _not_ with her.

 _At least she’s single now- no- stop it- she just got cheated on, don’t be a dick_ , Gilbert thought.

It was very early, well, it was almost 9 am, and it was early considering at which time they went to bed. His stomach rumbled, reminding him he should definitely have something to eat, he was always one of those people who had to eat something right after they woke up. He decided to order some breakfast for everyone, mostly because he was also hungry and he did not want to take food from their house, but because a bagel and your favorite coffee in the mornings equal to a spectacular day.

It only takes around twenty minutes for the delivery boy to come, two bags –paper, of course, not plastic- full of different types of bagels, muffins, donuts and there’s also a few pieces of cake somewhere in there, he might have ordered a bit too much, but he also knew his brothers would eat it all sooner or later. Cole is already coming to the kitchen before Gilbert can go wake them up.

 **“Is that Dunkin?”** The blonde ask, coming to check the bags.

 **“Yup”** he responded, popping the ‘p’.

 **“You are an angel”** he praises **, “Are you sure you’re not into boys?”**

Gilbert chuckles, **“Yes, I’m sorry”**

 **“How about your-”** He was cut off by Diana.

**“Is that coffee I smell?”**

**“Yes,”** Cole says, **“Gilbert ordered some breakfast”**

 **“I did, does- does Anne still takes her coffee like she used to?”** Gilbert asked, suddenly worried that she might have changed her coffee order in the last four years, which was very likely.

 **“Semi-skimmed milk, 1/3 coffee and 2/3 chocolate with two sugars?”** Diana asked and Gilbert nodded, **“You’re good, she’s a pretty basic bitch”** he sighed, relieved.

 **“That she is”** Cole laughs, slurping his own coffee.

* * *

* * *

July 8, 2019

A party, this was just what she needed. Anne Shirley was a girl on a mission. She was going to get drunk as fuck, she was going to find the hottest stranger there and she was going to fuck them, no feelings in the way, no more heartbreak, no nothing, just meaningless sex. She was wearing her tight black tube dress, her hair straight and loose, that dress looked a lot better with heels, but she did not feel like wearing them, so she just settled for her black platforms, they were comfy. Her night was going great so far, she had made out with this hot ass guy, his name was like- king or something like that and he was a gardener, she thought it was weird the dude told her his name and his profession but he was hot so that is what mattered to her. Not so good for Anne, the dude seemed a gentleman, and he politely rejected the proposition Anne had made him.

She was in the kitchen, refilling her red cup for what it seems like the thousand times that night when she felt a hand on her shoulder and a low **“Hi, Anne”**. It was skinny and delicate, and it was the hand of the last person she wanted to see that night. The voice was pleading, like the last time she heard it, unfortunately, not the last time anymore. Why is she even here? She shrugged the hand off her shoulder and started to walk out of the house to the big backyard. Anne heard Rayna following behind her and a few ‘please’ and ‘talk to me’.

_Where are my friends?_

She circled the pool, realizing her friends where not outside. Anne went back inside, the curly-haired girl still behind her. She hears the girl calling her name, it sounds distant, but she feels Rayna close. Now, she is walking in autopilot, walking around the house, looking for her friends, looking for a familiar face. Anne lets out a sigh of relief when she sees curls, brown short curls, to be specific, she makes a beeline to the tall boy standing next to the stairs and wraps her arms around him, hiding her face on his chest. He could feel her gasping for air and just when he was about to help Anne steady her breathing, he sees her.

 **“So that’s why you won’t talk to me?”** Rayna, says, **“You’re back with him?”** she moves her hand up and down like she was scanning Gilbert’s body.

 **“No,”** He says, moving Anne and stepping in front of her. Anne hid behind him, trying to calm herself.

 _Don’t let her see you like this, man up, and stop being a bitch,_ Anne thought.

**“If she won’t talk to you maybe it’s because you broke her heart”**

**“I’m sorry but who is talking to you?”** She scoffs, **“I’m trying to have a conversation with Anne”**

**“You have nothing to talk about with her”**

**“That’s up to her to decide”**

**“If she felt the need to come to me, of all people, it must be because she’s pretty desperate to get away from you”**

**“She-she didn’t say anything that- she didn’t say I should go- she- she was just walking away”**

**“And it’s that not reason enough?”** He shook his head in disbelief, **“She is walking away from you, take a hint and go, she doesn’t want to talk to you”**

**“I want her to say it”**

**“I don’t want to talk to you,”** Anne said, straightening herself and standing in front of Gilbert.

**“But why?”**

**“You cheated on me, there’s nothing to talk about”**

**“It was a one-night thing, babe”** Rayna explains, **“I was drunk, I don’t know how it happened, I didn’t even know she was recording us”**

 **“I don’t care,”** She shrugs, **“Maybe I would’ve considered to still be with you if you’d told me and explain this to be, but you didn’t and I found out over text and it wasn’t even yours, I found out because the girl you cheated on me with told me- well… showed me”** Gilbert puts a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly. He did not know the entire story, he knew Anne and Rayna had broken up, but the reason was unknown to him, until now.

 **“Why are you being like this?”** she tries to grab her hand but Anne moves it, **“This is so rich of you”** she laughs, **“YOU cheated too and no one cared”**

**“You don’t know what you-”**

**“No, I do know- I do know what I’m talking about. I confronted Jane about what happened and she told me everything, she told me about you and Billy, and about Gilbert, curious I didn’t know anything about him until that day in the ice cream shop, huh? Why could that be?”** Rayna interrupts her. Gilbert also wanted to know why Rayna did not know anything about him when they first met, he knows Anne does not have to talk about her exes, but she did mention Billy to her, so why not him? **“You are such a hypocrite, you cheated on Billy, with him”** she gestures towards Gilbert. **“And you’re acting like that? You of all people should understand!”**

 **“You have no idea what you’re talking about”** Anne scoffs, Gilbert decided it was best to let her speak; he already had the opportunity to do it. **“I talked to Billy, I was honest with him, I know I broke his heart and I really wish I wouldn’t have hurt him. Don’t compare us to you and Jane. I love Gilbert, you just had a one-night stand and you believe everything will be back to normal. Well, guess what? It’s not going back to what it was, I don’t want anything to do with you, and I don’t-”**

Anne was cut off mid-speech when Rayna threw her drink at her and left. Gilbert was splashed a bit too, but Anne was soaking wet. Thankfully her dress was black, or else it would be red from the drink –Gilbert’s white t-shirt will survive with a bit of bleach-. Anne was speechless, just as Gilbert, either of them for very different reasons. He feels her shiver under his hand and his thoughts come back to earth. He looked down at her, Anne was trying –and failing- to hold back her tears. How much he hated to see her sad.

**“Let me look for a towel so you can dry yourself a bit, then you can borrow one of my hoodies”**

**“I’m coming with you; I don’t want to be here alone”**

Anne starts walking behind him upstairs; now realizing Gilbert had company when she came. Winifred and Jerry were both standing there not saying anything. They clearly witnessed the entire argument but they were too polite to say anything. Gilbert walked to the laundry room, but when he opened the door he just stood there, his mouth wide open, in shock. Anne was standing next to him a few seconds later and just before she could scream or say anything, Gilbert covered her mouth and closed the door slowly; the two boys did not even notice it had been opened in the first place.

He made sure they were in his room before taking his hand away. Anne let out a loud **“WHAT THE FUCK?”** just as he did so. Gilbert did not say anything he had too many things in his head at the moment.

_What is happening tonight?_

First, Anne and him had just fought with her ex-girlfriend, she threw her drink at Anne and now she had to change because that beverage was cold she must be freezing right now, and also the doctor in him was telling him that she could catch a cold. Second, Anne said she loves him, present tense, she said ‘I love Gilbert’ not ‘I loved Gilbert’, what does that mean? Is it good? I mean, Anne loves her friend, does that mean she loves him as a friend or did she mean something more? Did she even mean it or was it just an accident? Something she just said without thinking. Third and this is the most shocking thing that happened the entire night, he just saw his brother, Charles, Charlie… Oh my god, he was making out with Cole, Cole Mckenzie. **“HE HAD HIS TONGUE DOWN HIS THROAT!”** Anne kept going, **“WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?”** Gilbert just shrugs, he does not know, he did not even know his brother liked boys. He comes back from his train of thought when he hears Anne laughing.

 **“What?”** he asks.

 **“What the fuck”** Anne laughs, **“What the actual fuck HA, HA, HA”**

**“Should we- say something? Like after they finish whatever they’re doing?”**

**“No, no. let them come to us if they want to”** Anne says, calming down her laughter, **“They probably won’t even say anything- maybe Charlie is just bi-curious. My god, I really want to tease him about this, but like… in a nice way, it’s nothing to be ashamed of really”**

 **“Maybe he’s not ashamed, maybe he’s just testing the waters,”** he adds, **“what surprises me the most is that he’s with Cole”**

 **“I know right!”** She giggles, **“Oh my god, imagine if they start dating! What would their ship name be?! Charle, no. That’s basically Charlie’s name but without the s”**

**“Cholie”**

**“Ew, no. Chole”**

**“That’s so similar to mine, Anne”**

**“Yes, and it sucks too…”** She laughs, Gilbert putting his hand on his chest, acting offended. He missed this. It was always this easy for them; they could talk about anything and everything. They would laugh at each other’s silly jokes, and tease each other, it was so easy. He knew those four years were hard without her, damn it, he lived those four years without her, he knows they were hard, but now having her so close and remembering he was going back in a month, how could he survive that? How could he survive being apart from her again? **“Hmm… I GOT IT”**

**“Tell me”**

**“Are you ready for this?”** He nods, **“CHARCOLE”**

**“Charcoal?As in activated charcoal?”**

**“No, C-H-A-R-C-O-L-E”** Anne spells, **“Pronounced like charcoal but spelled with C-O-L-E instead of C-O-A-L”**

 **“Ohh, I like it”** He nods, **“It’s smart”**

 **“Of course, I thought about it,”** She says, and shivers, making Gilbert realize that she is still in that wet dress.

 **“I’m going to grab a towel from the bathroom, you can grab one of my hoodies, you know where they are, you can take whichever you want, I don’t care,”** He says, walking to the door.

* * *

**“Why the fuck are you wearing Gilbert’s hoodie?”** Cole asks when she sees her, **“Did you guys fuck?”**

 **“What- no!”** Anne gasps, **“Rayna was here, we argued and she threw her drink at me-”**

 **“That bitch!”** he gasped.

 **“Gilbert… was there and he helped me”** Anne explained, **“What about you…have you fucked… or made out with someone tonight?”**

**“I don’t kiss and tell, Shirley”**

**“Since when?”**

**“Since tonight”**

It was around 1 am when the group was sitting in the living room of the Blythe-Lacroix household. Bash had decided in the last minute that he was going to sleep at his girlfriend’s –Mary- house, he was old enough to pretend he was too tired to party, which was not entirely pretend, he was 29 years old almost 30, he was the oldest of the group, but not the most mature, that place will always be Diana’s. This time their group had two new members that were very welcomed -after Anne found out Winifred was dating Jerry-. Charlie took the opportunity that Bash was not there to play those stupid party games he likes so much. They were very drunk already to play beer pong, way too tired to play truth or dare or the lap game because they would have to get up and that was not an option, the only game left –in Charlie’s very short repertory- was Never Have I Ever. It was easy enough, they did not have to move and they decided to play the alcohol-free version, so they’re basically playing Put A Finger Down, but they are using the other name so it sounds cooler.

 **“Never have I ever had sex on a park”** Cole said, Charlie, Jerry, and Winifred put a finger down. Gilbert not surprised by his brother, but he was kind of shocked about his friends, he looked at Winnie and wiggled his eyebrow, she just laughed and ignored him.

 **“Never have I ever fallen in love with my best friend,”** Charlie said. Everyone but Cole put a finger down.

 **“Never have I ever kissed a person with my same gender,”** Fred asks. Gilbert and Anne turned to look at each other knowingly. It was like they planned this even though they obviously did not. Cole, Anne, Diana, and Gilbert put a finger down, Anne turned to look at Cole who had eyes on Charlie, and then the younger Blythe put his finger down, slowly. She then looked at Gilbert; he was already looking at her. Now, they knew Charlie was not trying to hide it, but should they talk to him?

 **“Never have I ever…”** Gilbert started.

 **“Say it today, Blythe”** Jerry teased.

 **“Dropped my phone in the toilet”** he continued.

 **“Ah, fuck you, Gilbert”** Anne swatted his arm and he laughed.

 **“You dropped your phone in the toilet?”** Diana asked.

 **“ONCE”** She responded, **“It hasn’t happened to anyone else?”** Anne looked around the room. **“You’re lying… seriously?”**

 **“How did it happen?”** Winnie asked and Gilbert started laughing, earning another hit from Anne.

 **“I was here and I was in the bathroom, obviously, the one upstairs. I was putting cream in my hands because they get a bit dry after I wash them and they were slippery. Then, this asshole right here”** She said pointing at Gilbert. **“KNOCKED ON THE DOOR SUPER LOUD and scared the shit out of me, and the phone slipped out of my hands and fell on the toilet. I screamed and then he came in the bathroom”**

 **“Just to check on her, I thought she fell or something”** Gilbert interrupted.

**“And when he saw what happened he started laughing so loud”**

**“And then she was mad at me for the rest of that day and half of the next one, until I…”** He turned to look at her.

 **“We don’t wanna know,”** Cole said quickly. **“Your turn, Anne”**

 **“Jesus”** Gilbert swore under his breath, he knew what was coming.

 **“Never have I ever…”** She turned to look at him. **“Been scared of Matthew Cuthbert”**

 **“You were scared of Matthew?”** Diana laughed, **“He’s a teddy bear”**

Cole started laughing as well, **“He’s so cute I want him to be my grandpa or something, he’s not scary at all”**

 **“Anne!”** Gilbert whined and she laughed, **“It was my first time meeting him, and he was looking at me like he was going to murder me”**

 **“How’s Matthew?”** Winnie asked.

 **“He’s Anne’s godfather”** Gilbert explained, **“and he can be very intimidating”**

 **“He’s not intimidating at all,”** Charlie said.

 **“Not even a bit”** Anne laughed.

 **“He can be,”** he said; **“He’s very protective of you”** Anne smiled. Matthew was indeed very protective, and she loved him so.

After that, the game continued a while longer until they were all starting to fall asleep at the spot. Gilbert invited them all to sleep over, they were all way too drunk to drive. The house was big enough, or more than big enough, for them. Winnie and Jerry were already sleeping in the guest room, so the rest of the guests had to share the other free rooms. Charlie and Cole were sleeping in Charlie’s room, Anne and Gilbert shared a knowing look when he offered Cole to sleep with him. Anne and Diana were sleeping in Bash’s room, the redhead begged her best friend to sleep with her or else she would have to sleep with Gilbert, not that she hated him or something like that, but it would be weird to sleep with him in the same bed they made love so many times all those years ago. Diana accepted, which meant Fred had to sleep with Gilbert.

* * *

**“This doesn’t have to be weird, Cole,”** Charlie said while he changed his clothes.

**“I know that”**

**“Then why are you acting weird?”**

**“I just-”** Cole sighed, **“Should we tell them? You know… Anne, Di, and your brothers, should we tell them? I normally tell Anne and Di about guys I’ve… been with, not everything, but they know about all of them”**

**“I mean, I don’t tell my brothers about every single chick I hook up with, but if you want to tell your friends… I won’t stop you”**

**“Thanks, I don’t think I’ll tell them though, we both agreed this was a one-time thing”**

**“Exactly, if we tell them something they might get the wrong idea?”** Charlie nodded.

 **“Do you think it was a wrong idea?”** Cole looked at him confused.

 **“What? Of course not, I told you, it was good, Cole, really, but I realized I prefer stuffing than** **being stuffed”** Cole snorted, **“That doesn’t mean I’m not open to a threesome with another man now though”**

 **“Glad I helped you figure that out,”** He said, making Charlie laugh. **“So, just to be clear and make sure we’re on the same page about this, are we going to pretend none of this happened?”**

 **“No,”** Charlie responded, **“I mean, it’s not like we’re going to talk about it, but if someone asks we won’t deny it. Does that…sound good? To you?”**

**“Good”**

* * *

**“I think Charlie and Cole fucked,”** Diana said, surprising Anne for the sudden statement.

**“Why would you think that?”**

**“I don’t know, there’s something different about them”** She shrugged, **“Also, Charlie admitted kissing a boy when we were playing”**

 **“But that doesn’t mean it was Cole,”** The redhead said,

**“And he offered Cole to sleep with him, in his bed I mean. Fuck, that still sounds wrong”**

**“I sleep with you all the time that doesn’t have to mean anything, but…”**

**“But?”**

**“I’m going to tell you something but you have to promise not to tell anyone, Diana Barry”** She nodded, **“No, no. Pinky promise it”** Anne said, putting her pinky out in front of her, Diana took and swore not to tell anyone. **“Ok, after what happened with Rayna… Gilbert and I went upstairs so I could change, he opened the door of the laundry room and then we saw-”** she sighed, **“We saw Charlie and Cole making out”**

**“WHAT?!”**

**“Shhhh”** Anne covered Diana’s mouth with her hand, **“You’re going to wake everyone up!”**

No longer than a minute after Diana screamed, two men came running through the door, **“What happened?”** Gilbert and Fred asked at the same time. Diana started laughing at the intrusion.

 **“I told her about what we saw,”** Anne said, looking at Gilbert. He was clearly woken up from his sleep, his curls were messier than usual and he looked… cute.

_Brain, stop it_

**“We said we wouldn’t say anything, Anne”**

**“She practically found out herself. She had suspicions, Gil”**

_Gil_ , he thought.

 **“Can someone tell me what’s happening?”** Fred asked, looking between the three of them.

Diana sighed loudly, calming herself. **“Charlie and Cole made out, and I think they probably fucked too,”** she said and started laughing again.

 **“And what’s so funny about that?”** Fred said, starting to laugh, Diana’s laugh was very contagious.

**“It’s not, but I don’t know how else to react”**

**“Guys, Anne and I agreed not to tell anyone”** Gilbert started, **“It has to be their choice, maybe they were just experimenting and it’s nothing”**

 **“Yes of course,”** Fred said, **“We won’t say anything”** Gilbert and Fred went back to their room after a few minutes. Sleep came fast for the two girls lying on the big bed after they left.

* * *

Anne woke up alone in the bed the next morning, the blinds were completely opened, that must have been Diana’s doing. The raven-haired girl loved to wake up with light in her room, a thing that Anne completely hated. She did not know what happened to her that morning, but she did not mind at all. She groaned when she heard someone knocking on the door, and groaned louder when this person did not even wait for her permission to come in.

 **“Good morning”** She heard Gilbert’s raspy voice, **“Are you still asleep?”** he whispered.

Anne chuckled softly at that, **“I’m not asleep”** she whispered back to him, teasingly.

 **“Good”** she heard him say before she felt him come under the covers next to her.

She turned to look at him, confusion clear in her face, **“What are-”**

 **“Shh,”** He shushed her, putting his hand on her cheek and bringing her lips to his slowly. Their mouths quickly falling into place like they used to, it was sweet and gentle, but then she moved to straddle his lap, deepening the kiss. Anne felt his hands move to her hips, while hers were cupping his face and keeping his lips in hers. She moved to nibble in his ear, just like he likes.

 **“I’ve missed you,”** He said, panting. **“So much”**

 **“I missed you,”** She said, pausing her ministrations to the pulse point on his neck to move back to his mouth. They stayed like that for a while, Gilbert under Anne, and both of them repeating how much they had missed each other until they heard a knock on the door.

 **“Shh,”** Gilbert said. Anne turned to look at the door, it was locked. She decided to continue what they were doing, now that she was certain no one was going to come in, but he was not there. Another knock, and this time she heard the door open.

 **“Anne, are you awake?”** Diana asked.

**“I am now”**

That morning Anne woke up alone in the bed, twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.
> 
> I don't have much to say. Just, Black Lives Matter and Happy Pride Month.
> 
> https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/#
> 
> xo GingerSpirits.


	10. Are You Gonna Be My Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not proofread this...

December 12, 2013

The instructions were clear. She said **“Wear jeans and bring gloves, a scarf and a beanie”** and so he did. Gilbert was wearing his good old black jeans and a white sweater, he had to buy the other things Anne told him to wear, and he decided to buy them all black –as usual-. They had been driving for 15 minutes until Anne parked next to the ice skating place. Gilbert went to pick her up at her parents’ house, as soon as he knocked, she opened the door and took his keys, he looked at her weird and she said “I’m driving because I don’t want you to know where we’re going” he was a bit hesitant at first but she seemed so excited about surprising him that he could not say no.

**“We’re ice skating?”** He asked and Anne nodded excitedly. **“Are you trying to kill me? Do you want to get rid of me?”**

Anne laughed softly, **“You’re so dramatic”**

**“I’m not dramatic, I’m realistic. I might die”** Gilbert teased, **“You know I have to left feet”**

**“You won’t die, Gilbert”** Anne grabbed his hand, **“I’ll be right next to you the whole time”**

**“You just sentenced yourself to a night of falls, Anne Shirley”** He warned her, **“I’ve only ice skated once, and after the fall number 100 I decided to just stay on the floor because my butt hurt way too much to stand up, thankfully I only fell on my butt, imagine I would’ve fallen in my face or something, that would’ve been a tragedy”**

**“You certainly would’ve lost a lot, I mean, look at your face”**

**“You’re saying you only like me because of my looks?”**

Anne laughed out loud at that, **“Of course not”** she said and nodded at the same time.

**“I’m hurt”**

**“Stop whining and let’s go”** Anne started to get out of the house.

Anne really thought Gilbert was exaggerating, but she was surprised to see he was not. After a few tries to get him to skate in the middle of the ice rink, Anne decided to just stick to the sides and let him hold onto them. Despite this, she was still having a great time; Gilbert became one of her favorite people to be around very quickly. They have only known each other for almost three months and even though they were not officially dating, they were pretty much acting like a couple all the time, Anne and Gilbert had lost count of all the time someone called them ‘Anne’s boyfriend’ or ‘Gilbert’s girlfriend’ when they were there, and they were both sure the number would be higher if they knew all the time someone said that when they were not even present. It was awkward at first, hearing someone saying that, but as time went on, the awkwardness dissipated.

**“Gil?”**

**“Hum?”** Gilbert hummed, squeezing her hand.

**“What are we?”** She had been meaning to ask this for a long time.

**“Well, I’d love to be more than what we are right now, to finally put a label on it”** He responded truthfully, **“But I don’t want to pressure you into anything; I’ll wait until you’re ready”**

**“What if I told you… I’m ready?”**

**“Are you?”** Anne nodded slowly. **“Then,”** he moved slowly, leaning against the side of the rink so he could take both of her hands. Gilbert kissed one of them gently and **“Will you be my girl?”**

**“No,”** Anne said, his face fell immediately. **“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That was a terrible joke, of course, yes, yes, yes, I’ll be your girlfriend”**

**“Goodness, Anne”** Gilbert sighed, **“Don’t play with me like that”** he chuckled softly, pulling his hands away so he could hold onto the side again.

**“I’m sorry,”** She said, cupping his cheeks.

**“You’re not forgiven until you give me a kiss, and it’s going to be our first kiss so you’d better make it good”**

**“It’s not our first kiss”**

**“It’s our first kiss as a couple”** Gilbert explained, as it was the most obvious thing in the world.

**“You’re ridiculous”** Anne laughed.

**“I’m waiting…”**

She started leaning in slowly, extremely slow if you ask him, and then stopped right when her lips brushed his. **“And, what if I don’t want to kiss you?”** Anne whispered to his lips.

**“You’re walking home”**

**“I drove us here”**

**“It’s my car”**

Anne chuckled, **“touché”**

**“Stop teasing, Shirley. You won’t win this game”** He said, biting his lower lip.

She ran her thumb over his lower lip, freeing it from the little abuse. **“You’re cute, bubs. Thinking you can win in my own game”** she whispered and finally broke the little distance between their lips and kissed him senseless. Her hands moving to his nape, keeping him close. She pulled a little at his hairs there, making him groan quietly, Anne took the opportunity to slip her tongue into his mouth and meet his. He said ‘make it good’ and so she did. None of them cared they were not the only people in the ice. Their mouths kept moving, dancing in the way they were both so accustomed by now. Gilbert could not keep his hands to himself anymore, he moved them around her waist and pulled her impossibly closer, the little force he used plus he no longer grabbing to the sides was enough to make them fall. Thankfully for Anne, Gilbert cushioned her fall.

**“Damn it”** he groaned, **“I told you… two left feet”**

* * *

December 19, 2013

They agreed on meeting each other’s parents the following weekend. Anne insisted he should wear a regular outfit, dinner with her parents was important, but they were just eating at their house and it was nothing fancy. Gilbert showed up five minutes earlier than what they agreed to, he wanted to make a good impression to his girlfriend’s parents. He rang the doorbell and only a minute later Anne opened it, looking as beautiful as ever.

**“Hi”** She greeted, going on her tiptoes to press a quick kiss to his mouth.

**“Hi”**

**“I’m going out with my boyfriend!”** Anne shouted and closed the door behind her.

**“I thought I was meeting your parents?”** Gilbert asked her, confused.

**“We are,”** She nods, **“You’re meeting the ones who I actually care about and the ones who care about me, my godparents, they live close from here”** Anne explained. On the way to her grandparent’s house, Anne explained everything he needed to know. Gilbert did not ask many questions, even though he had many, he figured she would tell him when she felt comfortable to talk about it. **“Turn left here… I present to you, Gilbert Blythe… Green Gables!”** She exclaimed.

They walked to the door hand in hand; Anne did not even bother to knock and just showed herself in the beautiful –and a bit old- house.

**“We’re here!”** Anne called, coming to the parlor. **“Matthew! This is Gilbert Blythe, my boyfriend”**

Gilbert gulped, when the old man got up from his chair, he looked nice, but he was taller than him and also, his girlfriend’s father. **“Hello, Sir. Nice to meet you”** Matthew hummed in response, he was not a very talkative person, and Gilbert knew that, for the little Anne told him about them, but that did not mean he would feel less awkward and… intimidated by the whole encounter. They only sound in the room was the news on the TV and just before any of them could say anything to change that, another person came to the room.

**“You must be Gilbert** ,” Marilla said and he nodded, **“It’s nice to meet you finally, Anne has told us a lot about you”**

**“It’s nice to meet you too, Ms. Cuthbert”**

**“Please, call me Marilla,”** The woman said and Gilbert felt like a huge weight was lifted from his shoulders.

**“Marilla”** He repeated with a smile.

Marilla excused herself to go back to the kitchen, so she could finish dinner. Matthew went back to his place on his chair, and Anne pulled Gilbert to sit on the couch next to Matthew. He was tense, she could feel it. She laughed a bit when they sat and Gilbert started to put a bit of distance between the two.

**“Where are you going? I won’t bite”** Anne whispers to him.

**“You do bite”** He raises an eyebrow, **“And he might too”**

**“Matthew is a sweetheart,”** She said, moving closer to him and putting her hand on his thigh.

Gilbert pushed it away discreetly, **“Stop that, he’s going to hate me”**

**“He’s not capable of hating anybody and least of all you, knowing you mean this much to me”**

**“Don’t say that”** He hisses, grabbing her hand and squeezing it.

**“Why?”** Anne pouts.

**“Because I want to kiss you and I can’t”**

**“Do it”**

Before Gilbert could respond Marilla came, announcing dinner was served. The rest of the night went… well. Matthew still did not say much, most of the conversation was centered around Gilbert. Marilla clearly wanted to get to know him, and he did not protest, he knew she just wanted to make sure he was good for her daughter. Gilbert tried his best to impress her, even though he did not need to do much, Marilla liked him as soon as she saw him, and the way he would look at Anne only confirmed her that this boy had nothing but good intentions.

**“So Gilbert, Anne tells us you’re a senior,”** Marilla starts.

**“Yes,”** He nods, not quite sure what else to say.

**“Have you chosen where you want to study?”**

**“I’m staying here, I’ve been accepted in early admission to Queens College and I’m studying International Businesses… to continue with the family business”** Gilbert explained.

**“Oh, well, you certainly have a bright future ahead of you,”** She said. He nodded, taking a sip of his water **“and you would give Anne a great life if you two were to get married”**

Gilbert chocked, **“Marilla!”** Anne hissed.

**“What? At your age my first beau proposed to me, I declined, of course, but he proposed”** The older lady shrugged.

**“Well,”** Anne shook her head, **“This is not the 20 th century, Gilbert and I are not getting married- we’ve been dating for a week”**

* * *

December 20, 2013

Gilbert was supposed to come to pick her up at 7 pm. It was 7:15 pm and he was not there yet. Anne felt like pulling her hairs out one by one if he did not arrive soon, being late was one of the things Anne Shirley hated the most. Gilbert knocked on the door at Green Gables and she quickly opened it.

**“You’re late”**

**“I know, I’m sorry. Charlie took my car because he is at the mechanic and he was late, so then I was late. I’m sorry, I’m sorry”**

**“I’m going to hit Charlie when I see him”**

**“Plea-”**

**“Who are you going to hit, young lady**?” Matthew asked coming to stand by her at the door. Gilbert tensed when he saw it.

**“Good evening, Mr. Cuthbert”**

**“Hello, Gilbert”** The old man responded. **“So, who are we hitting?”**

**“His brother, he made Gilbert late… and now you’re making us late too, bye, I love you”** Anne said, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek. She grabbed Gilbert’s hand after he bid his goodbye and walked with him to his car. Once inside, Anne could not contain it anymore and started laughing. **“You’re so adorable when you’re scared”**

**“He said my name”** Gilbert sighed.

**“Stop fangirling, I told him you were scared of him and-”**

**“Why would you tell him that?!”**

**“Marilla started laughing,”** She ignored him and continued her story. **“We made him promise to talk to you a bit more so you wouldn’t be scared”** Anne finished that last sentence with a laugh.

Gilbert just whined in response, embarrassed by the situation. They fell into comfortable silence after that, just listening to the music that was playing on the radio. Anne started to pick on her nails when he parked in front of his house.

**“Calm down,”** Gilbert said, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers together. **“He’ll love you”**

**“You don’t know that”** she sighed.

The front door opened and a tall man with very short hair came out the door. He looked just like Gilbert, but older.

**“Hello! You must be Anne with an E, I’m John, Gilbert’s father, it’s a pleasure to meet the girl my son won’t shut up about”** The man greeted.

**“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Blythe”** Anne replied.

**“I’d love it if you called me just John, I feel like an old man every time someone calls me Mister”**

Anne chuckled softly, **“Alright, John”**

**“Please, do come in. It’s freezing out there”**

**“Annie”** Charlie greeted when they came in.

**“Charles** ” She smiled, Charlie just narrowed his eyes and gazed at her challengingly. **“I’m going to the bathroom, ok?”** She said to Gilbert and he nodded. Anne walked past Charlie, nudging him discreetly for being late and calling her Annie.

Anne decided to go to the bathroom upstairs so no one could hear her talk. People often talk to themselves, and Anne does it too, every time she’s nervous about something. John Blythe seemed nice, he was very polite and cheerful when he introduced himself, and he seemed to like her already, but she could fuck up in any second. What if he doesn’t like her anymore? What if he doesn’t want her to date his son? Her thoughts were running wild and they were not stopping. She imagined every scenario and none of them ended the way they wanted.

**“I can’t talk too much because he’ll think I don’t let anyone speak, but if I’m too quiet he’ll think I’m rude for not speaking. Does my hair look ok? Anne, relax. Oh my god, how did Gilbert let me come here looking like this! I look horrendous”** She opened the faucet and put a little bit of cold water at the back of her neck. **“You need to calm down. Everything will be alright. Gilbert’s here with you so nothing will go wrong”** She started pacing around the bathroom, stopping for a second to take a nervous pee and then washing her hands. Thankfully, she brought her purse upstairs with her so she could put a little cream on her hands.

Anne got her phone out of her purse to check the time, she had been in there for over five minutes. Just when she was going to put her phone back in her purse someone knocked and startled her, her phone flew out of her hand and landed on the toilet.

**“AAAHH!”** Anne screamed.

Gilbert opened the door quickly, **“Are you alright?”**

**“Gilbert! You scared me and made me drop my phone on the toilet”** Anne had barely finished the sentence when Gilbert started laughing. **“It’s not funny!”** She said which only made him laugh more. **“Gilbert!”**

**“Take it out!”** He said, laughing still. She quickly got the phone and started drying it with a lot of toilet paper. **“Oh my god”** he sighed, he was really trying to contain his laughter. **“We have to put it in rice”**

**“Wihivitipititinrici** ” She repeated, mockingly.

**“Are you mad?”**

**“Arumad?”** She mocked, again.

**“Anne,”** He snorted, **“I’m sorry, bubs,”** he said, grabbing her by her waist and pulling her closer to him. She tried to shake off his embrace but he just grabbed her tighter and placed a kiss on her head. **“I’m sorry I laughed”**

**“I only accept your apology because we still have to go through an entire dinner with your family”**

**“Perdóname, amor”** He pouted, trying his best to pronounce it the way she had thought him. Anne snorted, he tried at least. [Forgive me, love]

**“Señor, dame paciencia”** Anne muttered. [God, give me patience]

**“What was that? What did you say?”**

**“Nothing, Gilbert”** She replied, sticking her tongue out. **“Let’s go before your father thinks we’re up to no good up here”**

Gilbert sighed, **“Would you give me a kiss before we go down?”**

**“No”** She replied with a Spanish accent, walking pass him.

**“What does that mean in Spanish?”** He teased.

**“It means… never”**

**“Liar”** Anne just shrugged. Gilbert pulled out his phone quickly to check if she really meant that and confirmed ‘no’ actually means ‘no’ in English. He sighed, **“Just to be sure”**

Just as the day before, the topic of the conversation was mostly centered around the guest, Anne. Curiously, it was Gilbert’s favorite topic.

**“Anne wants to be a teacher”** He comments.

**“That’s wonderful”** John replied, **“What’s your- what do you want to be a teacher of?”**

**“Well, I really like languages, I speak Spanish, so probably I’ll teach Spanish, but I also like Greek and Latin, I started studying both languages last year, and I really like them”**

**“They do say if you now those two you can practically know every language”**

Anne nods, **“Exactly, they both come from this ancient-mother tongue called the Indo-European, which is practically the mother of tongues. It’s so interesting. When you start comparing languages, you start to notice there are a lot of similarities. For example, father in Latin is pater and in Spanish and in Italian is padre, in English is father, but if you look closely they’re very similar, pater ends in –er, just like in English, but in Spanish and Italian the letters are switched, probably to ease the pronunciation, and in the four cases the first vowel is a. Also, three of them begin with the letter p but in Engl… I’m rambling, I’m sorry”**

**“No, no,”** John insisted, **“Please, I loved to know. I really like to listen to someone talking about their passions”** Gilbert grabbed her hand under the table reassuringly.

* * *

**Gil**

My dad likes you

**AnnE**

Si

**Gil**

Charlie likes you too

But you already knew that

**AnnE**

Si

**Gil**

You still mad?

**AnnE**

Si

**Gil**

Are you going to say something else to me?

**AnnE**

No

**Gil**

I love you

**AnnE**

Si

**Gil**

BUBS

SAY IT BACK

**AnnE**

No

**Gil**

:(

**AnnE**

:)

**Gil**

Bubby

**AnnE**

I don’t not love you

Gn

**Gil**

Ok I take it

I LOVE YOU

GOODNIGHT BUBS

**AnnE**

…

**Gil**

<3

* * *

December 26, 2013

Gilbert had to buy her favorite cake –vanilla with cholate ganache- so she would forgive him for “laughing at my misery”, how she had put it. He knew she was not really that mad, she just wanted to get her way, and he happily complied.

The day after Christmas Gilbert went to Green Gables, like Anne and he had planned, so they could exchange presents. He bought Marilla and Matthew presents, even though Anne told him not to. He did not want to give the presents to them in person, too nervous to see their reactions, so he gave them to Anne with instructions of giving the presents to them once he was gone.

**“You first,”** Gilbert said, giving her a little box and a note. **“Read the note after”** Anne started carefully unwrapping the red wrapping paper with white stars, **“Anne,”** he sighed, **“rip it! You’re taking the fun out of opening presents if you do it like that”**

**“I don’t want to break it!”**

**“It’s just wrapping paper”**

**“No,”** Anne glared at him. **“It’s a momentum, I’m saving it,”** She said and the continued to unwrap the present carefully. The box was taped shut so she got up from her bed to look for a pair of scissors. Gilbert was really nervous, this was their first Christmas together and he was not the best at giving presents. He had spent the last month thinking about what to get for her. He ended up buying it last minute. Anne opened the box and saw two books, both in Spanish.

_‘La verdad sobre el caso Savolta, Eduardo Mendoza’_ Anne read and took the other one _‘Crónica de una muerte anunciada, Gabriel García Márquez’_

**“Do you like them?”** Gilbert asked, nervous. Anne was quiet, reading the synopsis of the books.

**“They sound interesting”** Anne said, truthfully. **“I’ve heard of García Márquez and read Cien años de Soledad, but this one… it sounds interesting, and the Savolta case, I love crime novels”**

Gilbert sighed, **“I’m glad you liked them. Now the note”** she unfolded the paper he gave her.

_TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP_

_I, Gilbert John Blythe, do hereby release ownership of my grey hoodie with my name ‘Blythe’ printed on the back._

_To: Anne Shirley._

_I understand that upon giving my hoodie to the above-named person, that person becomes the sole owner of the hoodie. I will make no attempt to reclaim my hoodie. I fully grant this person the possibility to ruin my hoodie or to give it to someone else, even though that might hurt me._

_I HEREBY STATE THAT I AM GIVING UP ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOODIES OF MY OWN FREE WILL._

_Signed: Gilbert J. Blythe_

Anne smiled reading the entire thing and when she finished she could not contain her laughter, **“You’re so ridiculous”**

Gilbert smiled, leaning in to place a chaste kiss on her lips, “ **I suppose I should make it official… since I haven’t seen that hoodie in three months”**

**“And you’ll never see it again”** Anne laughed, trying to sound like a villain from one of those Disney movies Gilbert loved so much. **“Your turn”** He grinned when Anne gave him a big paper gift bag with his name painted on it.

_She paints too??_

The bag was a bit heavy. He opened his presents and as soon as he saw inside he started laughing **“Are you trying to tell me something here?”** Anne had gifted him with seven different t-shirts each one a different color matching the seven colors of the rainbow.

**“You only wear black and white, bubby”** Anne smiled, **“a bit of color in your life would do you no harm”**

**“But you already bring so much color into my life”** he winked.

**“Flattery will get you everywhere, Gilbert Blythe”** Anne kissed him once, then twice. **“but not right now, there’s something at the bottom still”** Gilbert took a book out of the bag. Now it makes sense why it was heavy, this book was huge. ‘Spanish for dummies’, he read and started laughing. **“It was a last-minute gift, I decided to buy it after you doubted if ‘no’ meant ‘no’ in Spanish”**

**“Hey!”** Gilbert frowned, **“Your supposedly ‘sarcastic voice’,”** he said, quoting with his fingers. **“Is not sarcastic at all, I thought you were being honest with me”**

* * *

**Bubs**

Marilla loved the broach and she says thank you

And

Matthew said thank you and that you didn’t have to buy him anything

He didn’t say anything about the sweater you bought him but he liked it

I saw it in his face

They love you

I know it

**Blythe**

ARE YOU SURE HE LIKED IT?

**Bubs**

-sent a video-

The camera was pointing to the floor, **“Matthew?”** Anne said and the old man hummed in response, **“did you like the sweater?”**

He sighs, **“Of course,”**

**“You sure? You’re not just saying that, right?”**

**“No, Anne”** Matthew laughed softly, **“I like it, it was very nice of him to buy us presents, he truly didn’t have to do that. He’s a nice boy...”**

Anne cropped the last part of the video, where Matthew said: **“… I like him, but don’t tell him that. No one has ever been intimidated of me, I’m having fun”**

**Blythe**

YAY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started a new fic! a fake-dating fic, it's called Temporary Fix if you want to check it out, here's the link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24744076
> 
> xo GingerSpirits.


	11. Never Really Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Never Really Over by Katy Perry.

August 23, 2019

The last six weeks passed very quickly. It was nice to live like they were in 2015 again like nothing ever happened. There were not many house parties –not one actually- after the one in which Rayna threw her drink at Anne, but they kept finding ways to hang out together.

Winifred and Jerry went back to Paris at the end of July, and Gilbert had another week before he had to leave too and start his second to last year of university –finally-. He and Anne had been getting along well, there was still this… awkwardness when they were alone, just the two of them, but they quickly fell into their old group dynamic when they were with their friends.

Anne still thought about Rayna, she missed having someone, and Ray seemed to truly regret what happened, she could give her a second chance. After all, she was better than to be completely alone again. But no, she could not do that again, she likes Rayna, but the more she thinks about it she realizes she does not love her, and being with her just so she is not alone was a very mean to do, and she already did that with Billy after Gilbert left.

Gilbert.

Gilbert Blythe.

Gilbert, she missed him, so much, she could not stop thinking about him either after that dream, how easily she would fall back into his arms if he did the bare minimum. He only had to say it, and she would go back to him, because it is him, it has always been Gilbert. She could not do that to him, she already broke his heart, he forgave her, but that does not mean they should be back together. No matter how much she wants to.

Today was one of those days she felt like the world was plotting against her. She decided to hide at Green Gables, Marilla and Matthew knew her well, and they also knew not to ask question and wait for her to come to them. He was leaving again, and she had enjoyed this summer so much. These past two months have been the best two months in four years, she wants to believe it is not because of him, because of Gilbert, but what else could it be? Certainly not Winifred and Jerry, even though she liked them, she was not feeling like this when they were about to leave and even less after they left. It had to be him. It is always him. Why does it always have to be him?

_Why can’t I get over you?_

Hiding was probably not the best thing to do, but Anne knew Cole and Diana would interrogate her about what is happening to her. She loves them, a lot, but she needed to be alone. Marilla asked her why she was there two days ago when she arrived since it was very unusual for her to go there unannounced –nowadays, when she still lived with her parents Anne used to go to Green Gables almost every day-, Anne told her she wanted to get away from the city for a few days, which was not technically a lie, but it was not the whole truth, and Marilla knew that, but she would not push her. Matthew knew something was wrong the second he came inside and saw Anne sitting on his armchair with a book and a cup of tea on the table next to her. Anne did not like tea –that much-, she only drinks it when she is feeling nervous because tea relaxes her. He just sat on the couch next to her and started reading his own book without asking any questions either.

They were waiting for the moment Gilbert Blythe was going to visit them after Anne told them he was back in town for the summer. He thought it was very weird for the ex-boyfriend of their daughter to still come to their house, so he only went once when Anne was working and he saw Marilla a few times at the supermarket.

The moment Gilbert knew Anne had been at Green Gables for two days, he decided to pay the Cuthberts a visit. Matthew was at the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door and then another. He still felt a bit uncomfortable around the elder man, but it was nothing compared to what it was before. Gilbert started to go to Green Gables a lot after they first met and Matthew had opened up more to him. They went from only greetings to each other to actually talk sometimes about their families, and when Matthew was feeling talkative, they talked about hockey or Anne.

Matthew also knew the real reason why he and Anne had broken up –and he was also the only one who knew besides Anne and Gilbert themselves-, and even though he would always be on his daughter’s side, he could not help but feel sorry for the boy, now man, that was standing in front of him. He always liked him; he knew Gilbert was a good man from the beginning. Matthew was very surprised –to say the least- when Anne told him they had broken up, after listening to his daughter’s explanation, he started to understand a bit more the ‘why’ of their break up… he still thinks there is hope for them.

**“Good afternoon, Matthew”** Gilbert smiled at the man, as soon as he opened the door.

**“Good afternoon, Gilbert. Anne’s in her room”** he greeted.

**“How did you-?”**

Matthew looked at him, narrowing his eyes.

**“Thank you”** He said before walking upstairs to Anne’s room. Gilbert did not give a lot of thought to what he was going to do when he arrived. The only thing he was thinking was Anne, Anne, and Anne. He knew Green Gables was her safe place, and he also knew that when Anne went there without giving a reason or an explanation to her friends, something had to have happened. What he did not know was if Anne wanted to see him. _Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all_. He was starting to go back downstairs when he heard someone coming out of the bathroom next to the stairs.

**“Hi, Anne”** He breathed at the same time she said a bit harsher than intended **“What are you doing here?”**

**“I wanted to check on you”**

Anne sighed and looked down to her feet.

_Fucking Gilbert Blythe._

**“Thank you for coming by, but I’m fine, I just needed a break from the city”** She said, rubbing her eyes.

_Liar_

**“Liar”** he said.

_Is it that easy to see through me?_

**“Liar”** Anne admitted.

**“Is there anything I can do about it?”** She pointed to the door behind her, her room. Gilbert gestured for her to go and when she did, he followed. Anne moved slowly to her room, trying not to freak out, after all, her ex-boyfriend, whom she is starting to realize she still loves, is coming behind her.

The room looked exactly the same as it did four years ago, Anne did not spend that much time there since she moved to Charlottetown, which made it even more difficult for Gilbert, the bed still had that little cushion Marilla embroidered for Anne that said ‘Anne of Green Gables’. He did not sleep there once, well, he did if you count the naps he and Anne took after a long afternoon of studying –and more, but **“quiet! Marilla is downstairs”** and **“I am quiet, you’re the loud one”-,** but he never actually spent the night there, and it was pretty difficult he did now.

Anne sighed, sitting on her bed and patting the place next to her for Gilbert to sit.

**“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”** he asked softly. His hand tingled with the need to touch hers, but he tried to ignore it.

**“It’s just…”**

_I just don’t want you to leave again_

**“Anne… you don’t have to say anything. If you want to tell me, just do it when you’re ready”** Gilbert said. He wanted to help, bur bombarding her with questions would not help at all, he knew with time she would come to him and talk to him, and he did not mind waiting **“Wanna go for a walk? I know you like those”**

Anne smiled, **“I’d love to”**

Gilbert left the room so she could change, pajamas did not seem to be a good outfit to go for a walk. Ten minutes later, Anne went downstairs with her hair up in a messy bun, black leggings and a navy blue hoodie –and if she had thought of wearing a certain grey hoodie that was living at Green Gables since the Christmas of 2013, no one had to know-, with a pair of black vans.

**“Where are we going?”** She asked.

**“To where the wind takes us!”** Gilbert exclaimed dramatically. Anne laughed at his theatrics, but at that moment a breeze of air ruffled Gilbert’s hair and he winked at her. **“Told you, let’s go”** he said and started to walk, following the wind.

They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes. It was a beautiful day, very sunny, but not too warm, the sky was clear and the bluest blue Anne had seen in a while.

**“So…”** Gilbert started, making Anne turn her attention from their surroundings to him, **“How are you? I know this might be weird for you, we haven’t really talked in four years, but you can tell me anything, don’t ever forget that”**

Anne sighed, **“I know, you too, I mean, you can tell me anything…too”** Gilbert smiled and nodded, **“We should fix that by the way”**

**“What?”**

**“That we haven’t talked in years if you want…”**

**“Sure, what do you want to know?”**

**“I don’t know, whatever you want to tell me, what you’ve been up to, how’s uni, how you met Winnie and Jerry, whatever…”**

**“Well, I met Winnie first, our anatomy teacher put us together in class, I was very relieved when she spoke to me, I don’t think I’d ever been that happy to hear someone speak English”** Anne laughed, **“My French is better now, but at that time, Jesus, Winnie was too nice to laugh, really, my pronunciation was horrible, horrendous, atrocious, and a lot more adjectives like those. Then she introduced me to Jerry, I think it was at lunch that same day or the next, I don’t really remember, and that’s how I met my husband”**

She laughed louder at that, **“How romantic, was it love at first sight?”**

**“You have no idea, I saw him and I my jaw dropped, he’s so hot, and I know there’s Winnie but that problem is easy to solve. Anyway, what else you wanted to know…hm… right, uni. I hate it so much, but I also love it. I hate the part where I only get three hours of sleep some days because I have to study for a test, but it gets better when I remember why I’m doing it and what I’m going, well, hoping to get at the end of it”**

**“And what is that?”** Anne said, asking about the latter part, she already the reason he wanted to be a doctor, and what he’s getting after… it was easy to know, but she just wanted to hear him talk.

**“First, a degree, and then, a job in which I get to help people… I’m so excited”** he breathed.

**“I’m so happy for you… only two more years and then you’ll become the best obstetrician in Paris, I’m sure of it”**

**“Thank you”** He smiled, **“how about you? Anything you wanna share with the class, Miss Shirley?”**

**“Ah”** Anne nodded, **“Miss Shirley, hopefully I’ll be called that soon. Just one more year and then I can teach”** she smiled proudly.

**“I can’t believe you’re graduating earlier than me”** Gilbert snorted, shaking his head in disbelief.

**“Well, you changed your degree after you started… and medicine has two extra years compared to international business”** she shrugged.

**“I had to, I couldn’t run the family business”** He sighed. Anne knew that. Gilbert went through a hard time after his father died. John was the only thing he and his little brother had after their mother died giving birth to Charlie. They were 9 and 10 when their father finally told them the reason why they did not have a mother, Gilbert was crushed and he blamed Charlie. He never hated his brother anyway, they were just not as close. It was not until a few years later when he was 14 that John talked to him and explained to him that Charlie was not the reason his mother died.

Pulmonary embolism

His mother died because multiple blood clots occurred in her lungs. The doctor said it was probably due to a fall she had a few weeks –two, John thinks- before Charlie was born. Then his father died, and his world collapsed. He cried for an hour and then he put his brave mask on, he still had his brother, and even though Gilbert has not admitted it out loud to anyone, he loved him very much, and he knew Charlie was just a year younger than him, but he was so… naïve. Gilbert had to be strong for his brother, it was only at night when he was alone in his room he allowed himself to be sad.

**“I know”** she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. **“Bash and Charlie can take care of it by themselves, well, Bash can, and Charlie has to graduate still, and while they’re doing that, you’ll finish your studies, and then, again, you’ll be the best obstetrician ever. I’m speaking this into existence”**

Gilbert laughed softly at that, **“How is it that it was your turn to talk about yourself and I managed to become the topic again? I mean… I’m very interesting, I know, but I’m going to let you steal the spotlight for a bit”**

**“How generous of you”** She fake gasps and Gilbert bows his head **“Well, I don’t have that many things to talk about”** Anne shrugged, **“not many interest things have happened in the last four years, not until-”** she shut her mouth quickly when she realized what she was about to say.

**“Until?”** He raised an eyebrow, **“What?”**

Anne sighed, there was no use on hiding her feelings from him, he would eventually find out so it was better if she said them herself **“Until this summer until you came back”** He opened his mouth to say something, but Anne hugged him before he could. He was tense at first but then relaxed into the familiar touch. Gilbert inhaled deeply, taking her sweet smell in.

So close yet so far.

He felt her shoulders tremble.

_Don’t cry, please don’t cry_

Gilbert hugged her tighter, **“Anne?”** she hummed softly in response, **“I missed you too”**

**“I missed you so much. I don’t- want you to leave”**

He wanted to ask. Why? Why ‘no’? But he could not. He cannot ruin this. Anne is upset and she is hugging him. He missed her so much, and now she was close, she wanted him close, so he was not going anywhere. He wanted answers, but they could wait.

* * *

August 28, 2019

Gilbert leaves in two days, and what better way to say goodbye to him than camping. There were probably a lot of other ideas, but he wanted this, so his friends obliged.

Charlie groaned, **“I HATE THIS”** he was looking at the instructions of the tent he was trying to build.

**“You’re so useless, my god”** Cole rolled his eyes.

He got close to his ear and whispered, **“You didn’t say that the other night”** Cole nudged him with his knee on his balls, trying to be discreet, but everyone around noticed, they were just keeping their promise of staying out of it. Charlie groaned again. **“That’s it, you’re sleeping outside”**

**“You can’t even build this tent, you idiot, you’ll be sleeping outside too”**

As it was expected, Gilbert had to build his brother’s tent. After two hours of building their tents, way too much time for a group of adults, they moved a few logs to start a little campfire.

They ended up talking about boybands, One Direction and The Jonas Brother to be specific, for some reason that Gilbert could not understand –he learned later that Anne said that this reminded her of a scene from This Is Us (One Direction’s movie) when the boys go camping too-. Anne and Cole were die-hard One Direction fans, but Diana loved the Jonas Brothers.

**“THEY’RE NOT COMING BACK”** Diana shouted, clearly drunk. Gilbert hated drunken discussions, they always yelled so much.

**“THEY ARE”** Anne responded just as loud.

**“Yeah! The Jonas Brothers are back, One Direction can come back too”** Cole supported her, Anne nodded.

**“The Jonas _are_ brothers so they never actually separated, they’re family. One Direction though, they said they were taking an 18-month hiatus and it’s been what? Five years?”** Diana argued.

**“SHUT UP”** Anne cried. Gilbert hated that even more.

**“Hey, hey, calm down,”** Gilbert said soothingly, she turned to look at him, her eyes red.

Charlie fake coughs, **“He’s a sucker for you”** he sings lowly, but Diana hears him perfectly.

**“YES CHARLIE!”** She shrieks. **“I’M A SUCKER FOR YOU, SAY THE WORD AND I’LL GO ANYWHERE BLINDLY”** She got up and dragged Fred with her and started dancing with him.

Cole groaned, **“Shut up, they haven’t stopped playing that song on the radio, I’m sick of it”**

**“Then cover your ears”**

**“YOU’RE INSECURE”**

**“DON’T KNOW WHAT FOR”** Anne sang immediately, apparently she forgot she was sad two seconds ago.

**“YOU’RE TURNING HEADS WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE DOOR”** Cole continued.

**“Skip to the chorus?”** Anne asked.

**“BABY YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD LIKE NOBODY ELSE”**

**“I’M A SUCKER FOR ALL THE-”**

**“SHUT UP”** Charlie yelled.

**“Please?”** Gilbert added.

**“I’m sorry”** Anne started crying again, **“I just miss them”**

Oh, Gilbert knew she missed them.

The day Zayn left the band, Anne was in history class when the official account announced it. She cried the entire day, and for about three weeks after that. It did not help the fact that he was his favorite. “ **HE BETRAYED ME!”** She had screamed at the school parking lot. Anne called Gilbert crying that day, but she did not explain anything over the phone, he, obviously, thought the worst so he went to pick her up. **“AND I HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN THEM IN CONCERT!”** She cried, Gilbert tried to make her stop screaming by hugging her, but she kept going, how much she loved Zayn because **“he’s literally perfect and has the voice of an angel”** but she hated him because **“he left and IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING TOUR!”.** Saying that Gilbert was embarrassed at that moment was an understatement, but at least he was not the only person consoling a One Direction fan at the school parking lot that day.

**“Shh, it’s ok,”** Gilbert said, grabbing her hand, **“Don’t be sad”**

Anne snorted, remembering that meme, well- lyric ‘If you ever feel alone…don't’, _yeah like that fixes anything_. Diana seemed to realize what she had done, it was like the alcohol left her system in a matter of seconds. Cole was crying now too with Charlie rubbing circles on his back.

**“I hate drunk people”** He sighs. Charlie was drunk too, but he was perfect compared to Anne, Cole, and Diana.

**“I’m sorry, Anne, I can’t tell you they’ll be back together because I don’t really know, obviously, but I hope they will”**

**“Is their ten year anniversary next year”** Anne cried, her hands covering her face. **“and Zayn probably won’t even say anything, he barely says anything about One Direction since he left”** she sniffed between sobs, **“everyone leaves me”** she said lowly.

Gilbert’s breath stopped, he already knew Anne was sad because he was leaving, she said it herself, but he did not leave her, she left him. How could she say something like that? Apparently everyone else also noticed the meaning of her words because, when he looked up, all pairs of eyes were set on him –except Anne’s of course, she still had her face on her hands-. He stood up, muttering he needed to walk for a bit.

* * *

He was standing next to the lake, looking at the water when he heard someone join him, the branches under their feet were crunching with every step. Gilbert did not need to turn around to know who was behind him, the smell of coconut rum mixed with vanilla from her perfume gave it away.

**“I’m fine, Di. You didn’t need to come”**

She sighed, **“I actually did, you deserve an explanation, well- I can’t really give it to you, but I think what I’m going to tell you will give you some peace of mind or it won’t, I don’t even know”** Gilbert just shrugged, there was clearly no way out of this conversation. Diana nodded, **“Ok, first, she probably won’t remember anything she said tomorrow, so don’t worry about that. Second, I know you think she has no right to say you left her when it was the opposite, at least at the end of everything. She did say to me that she felt you were leaving her when you decided to go to the Sorbonne, but she didn’t want you to give up your dreams so she didn’t say anything. Anne wanted to try the whole distance relationship thing and that’s one of the reasons I don’t understand you broke up before even trying, and I wish I could tell you why she broke up with you, because that much I know, she did it and not you, it** **came as a surprise to all of us, but I don’t know the reason. She hasn’t tell me the reason why she broke up with you to this day, and I’m pretty sure no one knows. I wish I knew, I wanted to help her so much when I saw her that day, the day you left, she looked so small and broken, and I wanted to help her, but she didn’t say anything, she just cried and every time I asked she would change the subject, and I don’t know anything about that day, what she did or what you did or whatever happened, I-”**

**“I proposed”**

* * *

August 30, 2020

Gilbert could not remember how much he hated goodbyes until he was waiting in line to check-in his luggage. This time he was leaving a bit happier than last time at least. All his friends were with him at the airport. Anne did not remember anything about that night. Diana promised not to say anything after their conversation by the lake, so he was relieved, she was officially the first person he has told something about their breakup and he was not ready to tell anyone else.

Diana did not want to make any conclusions without knowing both sides of the story first, and she was planning on finding that out as soon as they got home from the airport. She needed to wait until Gilbert was gone to make sure Anne would not say anything to him for telling her.

Once Gilbert finished checking-in, he went back with his friends at the back of the line, waiting for him. The moment was coming and he hated it.

Cole hugged him first, **“Don’t crash and die please”**

He laughed nervously, **“That’s out of my control, but I’ll try my best”**

The blonde hugged him tighter, **“Be safe, future doctor”**

Gilbert sighed, letting go of Cole a moving to hug Fred. It was a short hug, Fred wished him a safe flight, and joked how much taller he had gotten and now he had to get on his tiptoes to hug him. He hugged Diana next.

**“Have a safe flight and don’t forget to text when you land”**

**“Yes, mom”** he squeezed her on his arms, lifting her up the ground for a short second.

Bash patted his back, **“She’s right though, I don’t need to worry for another Blythe, I have enough with this one”** he pointed behind him to Charlie. Gilbert laughed and hugged him. **“Text, ok?”**

He nodded, **“I’m going to miss you, say hi to Mary and tell her that I wished she could’ve come”**

**“Will do”**

Charlie jumped to his arms after Bash stepped back, Gilbert groaned but hugged him either way, **“You could just say you’re going to miss me, you know?”**

Charlie sniffs, **“I won’t miss you”**

**“Yeah, right, I will miss you…”** he said quietly to his brother, **“I love you, be nice to Bash”**

Charlie sniffs again, **“I love you too, but I won’t be nice to Bash”**

Gilbert laughed and hugged him tight one more time before letting go of him. He turned his head and there she was, Anne, clearly trying to hold back her tears. He opened his arms and she made her way slowly to him.

**“Have a safe flight and, again, call or text or whatever when you get there”**

**“I will”**

Anne let out a shaky breath, **“I’m going to miss you”**

He held her tighter, **“Yeah, I’m gonna miss you too”**

**“Come home someday”**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating in over a month. I haven't been feeling well mentally. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, tell me your thoughts!
> 
> Please, be safe, be smart and treat people with kindness ;)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


	12. Say You Won't Let Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur.

June 2, 2015

**“Only two more boxes, bubs!”** Anne called over her shoulder.

Gilbert groaned. They had been moving boxes for the past three hours from Anne’s house to the apartment she, Cole and Diana had rented in Charlottetown. He had brought his truck, but he had to go back twice to go get everything Anne had packet. That was not the worst part; they still had to take everything up three floors **“AND THERE’S NO ELEVATOR???”** he had said when Anne asked him to help her.

**“Come on, bubs”** Anne said, **“You’re a hockey player! you’re supposed to be super fit”**

**“I haven’t played hockey in over a year, Anne”** He said, breathless. To his defense, he was carrying the heaviest boxes, the ones with her books –which were a lot- and she was just carrying the suitcases with her clothes. Anne apparently forgot they still had to carry the new bed –mattress included-, desk and night stands they bought a few days ago. Gilbert was so thankful when Fred, Diana and Cole came to finish organizing the apartment. They had moved in their stuff the day before so it was no problem for them to help with what was left of Anne’s things.

Cole groaned, carrying one of the boxes up the stairs **“Seriously who needs this much stuff?”**

Gilbert turns to look at him, **“You can’t complain I’ve been doing this for hours”**

**“And I’m helping you just because and not because I have to, so shut up”**

Fred snorted, **“mic drop”**

**“Shut up, you, too”** Cole warned, **“God, I hate straight men”**

**“Who said we were straight?”** Gilbert asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

**“Oh baby, if any of you was the tiniest bit gay, you would’ve fallen for me already”**

Fred snorted, **“Sure”**

The apartment was all done by the end of the day. They ordered a few pizzas and sat on the living room to celebrate the new apartment. It was a nice apartment, considering most first-year students could not pay their own.

**“I can’t believe we finally have our apartment!”** Anne shrieked, grabbing another slice of pizza.

**“Yeah, we’re grown-ups now, we can do whatever we want,”** Cole sighed, **“well, we have to pay bills and work too, but let’s ignore that for now”**

* * *

June 7, 2015

Gilbert had been waiting for months. The Sorbonne. It was like a dream. He was so close to getting it. The letter arrived thirty minutes ago and it has been on the countertop since. Charlie and Bash were in the living room, apparently annoyed with him for ‘not opening the damn letter already’. He keeps pacing around the kitchen, waiting for his friends to come; he did not want to do this alone. He also did not want to get his hopes up, but he already had his hopes up. Anne kept telling him that he was for sure going to get in. Gilbert was, to say the least, an amazing student. He was at the top of his class and also the valedictorian at his graduation. There was also the fact that he did not need any type of financial support from the university itself because his father left more than enough money for him.

Charlie was about to yell at him to stop walking because it was making him nervous when the door burst open and Anne, Diana, Cole and Fred came in, not even bothering to knock.

**“Come on, open it!”** Anne called, running to him. He opened his arms to greet her with a hug and she went easily.

Gilbert grabbed the little envelope when they separated, his hands shaking.

**“For the love of god, open it already”** Charlie groaned because Gilbert had been holding the letter for over 30 seconds and had not opened it yet.

**“I’m NERVOUS!”** Gilbert glared at him, his eyes narrowed. He looked back down to his hands, to the letter, **“I can’t”**

Diana sighed, **“Give it to me, I’ll do it”** he did not even hesitate, already handing her the letter before she could even finish talking. Diana opened the letter and read it carefully.

**“What does it say?”** Cole asked.

She looked up, locking eyes with Gilbert for a few seconds before looking back down.

**“Toutes nos félicitations! C’est aven grand plaisir que je vous informer que vous avez été admis à l’Université de la Sorbonne”** she read. Gilbert’s eyes widened. Diana kept a straight face. No one in the room understood what she said, except for Gilbert.

**“What does that mean?”** Bash asked this time. This acceptance-reveal-thing was taking too long already.

**“That means…”** Gilbert started, **“That means I GOT INTO THE SORBONNE!”** He shouted and the entire room erupted into cheers. Diana started laughing.

**“YOU BITCH!”** Anne laughed, **“I was so scared for a second!** ” They hugged each other, Anne could see Gilbert jumping happily over Diana’s shoulder.

This is it, he was leaving. It was now official. Not long before it happens and she was ready for it.

* * *

August 29, 2015

They were lying in bed, enjoying their last day together in a while. He could not believe it was his last day in Canada. The following morning he would have to wake up, have breakfast and go to his house to look for the suitcases he was taking with him to Paris. Everything was ready to go.

Gilbert was sure of two things in his life. First, he wanted to be Doctor and make his father proud, and second, he was in love with Anne. He could not help but to feel a little scared. Paris and Charlottetown were very far apart. He was very sure of his feelings and Anne said he loved him back, but-

**“Do you really love me?”** Gilbert asked suddenly, his hand going up and down her back.

**“Not this again”** Anne sighed, sitting to face him. **“I love you, Gil, so much. I love you”**

**“I’m so lucky”** Gilbert whispered, moving his hand to her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. Anne leaned into the touch.

**“I’m the luckiest”**

**“Anne?”** she hummed, **“Tomorrow, I leave, and I know we kind of talked about this but not in-depth… I just- I wanted to remind you… I only want you, ok? you don’t have to worry for any other girls, my heart already belongs to you, my mind is occupied by you 90% of the time, the other 10% is school work, but let’s not get into that”** she laughed softly, he brought her closer to him. **“long-distance… is hard, but we can make it work. I love you and that’s all that matters”**

**“I love you, too”**

He smiled, sitting in front of her. **“I love you, Anne, with my whole entire heart”** she leaned to kiss him, slowly. He pulled back, **“Wait here”** then he got out of bed to look for something in his pants, which were on the floor of her bedroom. **“This is not how I originally wanted to do this, but I don’t care anymore, all I need is for you to be here and the moment is already perfect”**

**“What are you-”** Anne stopped when she finally saw what he was looking for. It was a little black velvet box.

**“Anne,”** He started.

**“Gil-”** She tried to say, but he continued.

**“I love you, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me”** Gilbert continued, opening slowly the little box in his hands. **“I know we’re still young, I know we’re just starting college, I know I’m leaving tomorrow, but I also know I love you, I know that you are the love of my life, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you-”**

**“Gil, please-”**

**“Anne,”** he showed her the golden ring inside the box, the little white diamond sparkled when it was hit by the light in a certain way. **“My love, my Anne, marry me?”** Anne started crying, and Gilbert felt he could die happy right then and there, but he misunderstood the sign.

**“I can’t, I’m sorry”**

**“What?”** He breathed, his voice was barely audible.

**“I can’t marry you, Gil. I’m sorry** ” Anne looked down to her lap.

**“I don’t mean right now, this is more of a promise ring than it is an engagement one”** he started talking fast, she shook her head. **“But- why?”** he breathed.

**“You’re moving away”**

**“I was doing that anyway”** He furrowed his brows, **“we were just talking about this, love?”**

**“I know but-”** she sniffed, **“I can’t keep you tied to me if you’re leaving. You have to live your life, you won’t get a full college experience if you can’t go around, make out with random French girls at bars and fuck around”**

**“I don’t want to make out with random girls, I don’t want to fuck around, I- want you. I’ve always wanted you”** He stood up, trying to grab her hands, but she pulled them away. **“I told you this, like… two minutes ago”**

**“I’m sorry”** Anne sobbed.

**“Don’t”** he sniffed, shaking his head, **“When were you planning to tell me this? After I left? Were you going to break up with me over text? When I couldn’t say anything to you in person?”**

**“I was not going to do that,”** Anne said, taking his hand.

Gilbert quickly pulled it away, **“Why are you doing this?”** he sobbed, **“Do you want to live a ‘full college experience’? I was just one of your playthings wasn’t I?”**

**“You are not my plaything, Gilbert”** _how could he said that?_

**“Then what am I to you, Anne?”** He started pacing around the room, his hands covered his face and he let out a groan, frustrated. **“I thought you loved me, you just lied to my face. You told me you loved me not even five minutes ago. You looked at me, right in the eyes and told me you loved me. Why would you do that if you don’t feel it? You- why- but I-”**

**“I’m sorry”**

**“Don’t be, I should’ve known”** He chuckled softly, **“I always thought your kisses were going to be the death of me,”** he started talking to himself, but to her at the same time. **“it was like you were giving me life and taking it away from me at the same time, and then- your- your mere presence makes my heart skip a beat, you were stealing my heart slowly, beat by beat, until it belonged only to you.”** he sniffed, shaking his head. **“Don’t apologize; you never said you weren’t going to break my heart… I just hoped you wouldn’t”** He needed to get out of there. The room was getting smaller and smaller, and it was like someone took the oxygen of him. He grabbed his clothes from the floor and left her apartment. Gilbert got dressed in the middle of the stairs, it was late at night and thankfully no one was there to see him. If someone was there the only thing they would see was a tall boy, with no clothes on but his boxers, and crying his heart out because the love of his life just broke up with him.

* * *

September 12, 2015

The first day of university at the Sorbonne, Gilbert was walking to his first class of the day, Human Anatomy. Charlie and Bash had both texted him wishing him good luck on his first day; he still missed, longed, for another text, one from her.

Her

Anne

Gilbert was doing everything he could to forget about her; she made it very clear she did not want him. The first five days he kept his mind busy, worrying about organizing his new apartment and finishing some paperwork he needed to do before his classes started.

He thought he was early, almost 15 minutes before the class was supposed to start, but he found that almost every seat in the classroom was taken, and the professor was sitting on his desk.

When he stepped inside, the professor looked at him.

**“Bonjour”** the man greeted, **“Nom?”**

**“Gilbert Blythe”**

He nodded and looked down to his papers, **“Lá,”** he pointed to a beautiful blonde girl sitting around the middle, **“à côté Miss Rose”**

The girl smiled and he walked towards her.

**“Winifred Rose”** she said, extending her hand. **“Nice to meet you”**

**“Hey”** He sighed, relieved, **“You speak English”**

She laughed softly, **“Yes, my father is from England and my mom is French”**

**“How did you know I was not from here?”**

**“Well”** Winifred started, **“You pronounced your name in English”**

**“I did what?”** He looked at her confused.

**“You said Gilbert Blythe (/gɪlbərt blaɪð/), a French-speaking person would’ve said Gilbert Blythe (/ʒilbɛʁ blit/)”**

**“So, no T at the end, g like it’s a j, that weird r sound French has?”** He raised an eyebrow.

**“Exactly,”** She laughed again and he joined. This is the first time he has laughed in weeks.

**“I’m glad he sat me next to you, Winifred, you’re the first person that’s spoken English to me, besides my family over the phone”** he smiled.

**“You can call me Winnie, and also, Mr. Maville is a friend of my father; he probably noticed your accent too and put you next to me”**

**“Winnie”** Gilbert nodded, **“friend of your father, huh? So, you’re kind of a big deal here, aren’t you?”** He asked, laughing lightly.

She snorted, **“Well, yes, I am. Even though I’ve talked to him for the first time today, because my father doesn’t usually bring his friends home, I’m sure I’m his favorite student already and I plan to keep it that way, so you’d better behave, Mister Blythe”** Winnie joked.

**“I’m an angel”**

Winifred eyed him, **“We’ll see about that”**

* * *

His classes for the day passed faster than he thought. Gilbert was making his way to his apartment when a familiar blonde came running towards him calling his name. He turned to look at her and smiled.

**“Well, hello, Miss Rose”**

**“Hey, Gilbert”** She breathed **, “Give me a second, I need a to breathe, I don’t usually run”**

He laughed, **“Sure”**

Another person approached him then, a man, **“Hello, I’m Jerry, and I have to assume you’re Gilbert”**

**“I am”** He nodded.

**“Nice to meet you,”**

**“Wait no”** Winnie whined, **“I was supposed to introduce you two”**

**“Then do it, love”** Jerry said, taking her hand and intertwining their fingers, Winifred smiled and looked at him.

**“Jerry Baynard, this is Gilbert Blythe, my newest friend, Mr. Maville sat him next to me this morning”** She said, then turning to Gilbert. **“Gilbert Blythe, this is Jerry Baynard, my boyfriend, and your new friend, who, look at that, also speaks English, you’re welcome”** She smiled, proud of herself.

Both men laughed, **“Nice to meet you”** they said in unison.

**“Great, now, Gilbert”** Winnie started, **“Would you like to come to have lunch with us today?”**

**“I-”**

**“You’re not allowed to say no”** Winifred added quickly, smiling. He turned to look at Jerry who just shrugged.

**“I was going to say, before I was rudely interrupted”** He looked at her again, **“that I would love to”**

**“Fantastic!”** She smiled brightly, **“Now, come on, there’s this beautiful place nearby...”** She grabbed his arm, her other one was holding Jerry, and started walking.

Winifred was not short, but she was short enough so Gilbert could see Jerry at the other side of her already looking at him, **“Is she always like this?”**

Jerry sighed, **“Oh, my friend, you haven’t seen any of it”**

**“I’m right here, you know?”** She rolled her eyes, **“Also, I’m only like this with people I like, you, Gilbert Blythe, are different, I could tell you were going to be my best friend since the moment you said hey to me… so you’d better not disappoint me, Mister”**

He turned to look at Jerry again, but this time he nodded. Winifred was being completely serious.

**“I won’t,”** Gilbert said, truthfully to her.

**“Good”** She smiled.

Maybe Paris was not going to be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an A1 in french but still, I'm not entirely sure those sentences are correct, so please bear with me.
> 
> In case you were wondering, yes, that proposal it's supposed to be as bad and awkward as it sounds. It could've been more awkward but I didn't want to outdo it too much.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. Leave a comment if you'd like and tell me your thoughts.
> 
> Please, be safe, be smart and treat people with kindness :)
> 
> xo GingerSpirits.


	13. Somebody To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Somebody To You by The Vamps.

October 18, 2019

Two more years and it is over. Just two more years and you are free.

Maybe repeating that in his head over and over again would help. Gilbert is at the library finishing an essay for his Clinic Biochemistry class. The teacher assigned it as soon as the students set foot in the class, how thoughtful. 10,000 words. How does Ms. Martin expect him to write that many words? He has been stuck at 8 thousand for the last three days. I mean, there is so much you can say about the biochemical exploration of the diseases of the glucose metabolism, but not that much.

Ugh

A cup of coffee would be nice right now. Sleeping would be nice too, but there is no time to sleep. This essay had to be finished yesterday; at least he still has the weekend to finish it. Maybe he should take a break, he has been staring at the screen for the last 30 minutes without writing anything.

Gilbert started to put his books, his laptop, and his pencil case inside his backpack when someone tapped his shoulder.

Bianca

**“Hi, B”** He greeted.

**“Hello,”** They smiled, her pearly white teeth showing. **“You’re leaving?”** Bianca said once they noticed what he was doing, their smile fell.

**“Uh, yeah, my brain is kind of dead right now, I was going to get some coffee”** He explained, **“You can come with me if you want?”**

**“No, it’s all right, I just got here actually,”** They said **, “I saw you and thought I could join you, but it’s ok, go get your coffee. Not to be mean, but you kind of look like you need it”** Bianca smiled again.

Gilbert laughed at that, quickly slapping his hand over his mouth, **“Pardon”** he whispered to the people around him at the library. Bianca snorted, trying not to laugh. “ **I- I know, I’ve been really stressed about this essay I have to write, I’m blocked right now. I’ve been staring at the screen the past half hour and I didn’t write a single word”**

**“Oh,”** They frowned, **“Ms. Martin?”**

**“Yeah, how did you know?”**

**“One of my friends is in her class, she’s been telling me about the essay you have to write”**

**“Uh,”** Gilbert hummed, **“I- yeah, it’s difficult, like I said, I’m very blocked right now”**

**“Well, don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll finish it soon and it’s going to be the best essay ever”** Bianca smiled at him.

**“Thanks, B”** He smiled back, **“I should,”** he gestured with his thumb towards the door.

**“Yeah, of course, right. I’ll- see you later, Gil”**

**“Yeah, bye”** He nodded once and left.

It was truly a blessing that there was a café next to the library.

Gilbert needs coffee now please and thank you.

Coffee was the solution, maybe not one but two cups would help him.

**“Gilbert!”** Someone called just as he was opening the door of the café, **“Hello, Monsieur Blythe I was looking for you”**

**“Well, Salut, Monsieur Baynard”** He smiled, opening the door to let his friend in.

They sat on a table at the corner near a window. When they had their coffee Gilbert finally asked:

**“So, why were you looking for me?”**

Jerry smiled shyly, **“I wanted to ask you something…”**

**“Yes…?”**

**“I-”** He cleared his throat, **“I’m going to… ask Winnie to marry me”**

Oh wow

Gilbert was not expecting that

**“Oh, I- congrats? I guess”** Gilbert said nervously.

**“I wanted you to be my best man”**

**“me?”** Jerry nodded, **“I haven’t even asked her, I hope she says yes, and if she does I want you to be my best man at the wedding. I wanted to- yeah, that. You- my best man…wedding”**

Gilbert chuckled **, “She’s going to say yes, and of course, I’ll be your best man, thank you for… asking me, it makes me happy you want me next to you at your wedding… thank you”**

Jerry sighed relieved, **“Thank you”** he started fidgeting with his hands.

**“Is there something else you wanted to talk about?”**

**“I- I’m asking her tonight”**

God that is very soon

**“Wow”** Gilbert’s eyebrows shot up, **“That’s- how are you- how are you going to ask her? You already have a ring?”**

**“Yeah, I’ve been looking for it for months now, I found the perfect one last week,”** He explained, **“I have it here,”** he said, reaching for the little white velvet box in his pocket and putting it on the table.

Gilbert grabbed it, looking at him questioningly, Jerry nodded and he opened the box. Inside there was a little silver ring, with a big sapphire and little diamonds around it, it was beautiful, simple –probably very, very expensive- but beautiful.

**“It’s beautiful”**

Jerry nodded again. Gilbert closed the box and gave it back. His mind started to drift back to golden rings with emeralds and black velvet boxes…red hair…fire…crying…loneliness…

**_“I can’t, I’m sorry”_ **

**_“What?”_ **

**_“I can’t marry you, Gil. I’m sorry”_ **

Gilbert jumped when the lady at the table next to them dropped her spoon on the floor.

**“I was thinking,”** Jerry started, **“That I’m going to ask her dans la tour Eiffel”**

**“That’s so romantic Jerry,”** Gilbert teased.

Jerry blushed, looking down at his coffee, **“I just- really love her? She’s- I love her, I want to spend the rest of my life with her…”**

**“I understand, you don’t have to explain yourself,”** He said, patting his shoulder.

* * *

Winifred said yes.

So now, Gilbert was frantically running around in their apartment finishing the –very- last minute surprise engagement party Jerry asked him to organize. The guests were already here which was good, the caterers were setting up the food, the little musical duo started singing a few songs to check the sound. Everything was good so far, now the only thing missing was Jerry and Winifred.

Organizing the party at least was helping him forget about Anne and his essay for a while. Tonight is about Jerry and Winifred, he can cry about her later.

Tonight let’s celebrate love.

And not heartbreak

He got a text from Jerry letting him know they were almost there. Gilbert told everyone to be quiet and turned off the lights.

Winifred screamed so loud when they walked through the door and everyone shouted their congratulations. Everyone laughed while she got her pulse in order, and Gilbert ran to them and hugged them both.

**“Congrats friends, now it won’t be weird that you live together without being married”** he teased.

Jerry laughed and Winifred scoffed.

**“It’s not the 19 th century, Gilbert,”** Winnie said, **“But thank you”** she hugged him again, **“I’m guessing you had something to do with this… party”**

He nodded, **“Yeah, Jerry asked me this morning to help him”**

**“So you told him before me?”** She asked, turning to look at Jerry, frowning.

**“It was a surprise, my darling”** Jerry smiled, grabbing her by the waist and pecking her lips once, **“it wouldn’t have been fun if I told you before”**

Winifred blushed and Gilbert gagged, **“Shut up, Blythe”** the couple said in unison.

**“Aw, you even say the same things at the same time”**

Jerry and Winifred smiled at each other, sharing another sweet kiss before going to greet their friends and family.

* * *

It was too much.

Watching them dance, kissing, hugging, touching.

Winifred showing her engagement ring to everyone.

Gilbert does not know how it happened but he ended up drinking almost an entire bottle of vodka, and now the room is spinning, and he misses her, she should be here. She should be here with him. She should have said yes. She should be wearing his ring. She… she cannot say he left, he did not leave. Well, he did, but she left him first.

**_“Hello! It’s Anne, leave a message”_ **

**“Hello, Anne, it’s me, Gilbert hi” He doesn’t remember when he called, but now he has to speak, it would be weird if he did not. “Hi, I’m at a party right now… an engagement party, how great, right? Jerry… he- Jerry proposed, not to me- of course- he- Jerry asked Winnie to marry him… and she said yes! She said yes. She said yes and now- now they’re getting married… I don’t know when because he just-”** beep.

He called her again and it went to voicemail immediately, her phone must be off.

**_“Hello! It’s Anne, leave a message”_ **

**“As I was saying… before being rudely interrupted. They’re getting- married, but I don’t know when yet- Jerry just asked her a few hours ago… oh, and she said yes, how wonderful. They’re getting married, Anne, isn’t- isn’t that great? She’s going to wear- a beautiful white dress and she’s going to look so pretty, and Jerry is going to wear a tux, we don’t- I don’t- know the color yet because- he just- asked her so- we hav- we haven’t discussed it. Oh and Jerry asked me-”** beep.

Ugh

**_“Hello! It’s Anne, leave a message”_ **

**“Anyway, he asked me, Gilbert, yeah, me, hello, Gilbert Blythe, to be his- Jerry’s maid of honor- I mean- yeah, maid- no, best man… yeah that’s right. Oh, Anne, they’re getting married- they’re getting married because they love each other- they love- like I- remember? I loved you- I love you, I wanted to marry you- I’m- I still want to, but- you- are going to say no again- that’s what you do, you say no, you always say no. No matter how many times I ask you in my dreams- Anne from my dreams always says no- you say no- always say yo-”** beep.

**_“Hello! It’s Anne, leave a message”_ **

**“NO! no, no, no, stick to the stuff you know oh oh. If you wanna be cool, follow one simple rule, don’t mess with the flow no, no, stick to the status quo oh uh oh oh oh!”** Gilbert dance to the beat in his head, **“OH! Did it tell you I’ve been writing this essay for the past week? Ten thousand words! What the fuck- that’s- wow- that-‘s a lot of words, amirite? And I’m no Gabriella Montes, I need- Jesus- I need Jesus- I need help- god. Oh! Oh! Someone’s calling me! I-”** beep.

**_“Hello! It’s Anne, leave a message”_ **

**“Hi Anne, someone’s calling me- so- I have to go- ok? I love you- even though you say no- goodbye Anne with an E- eehh, hehe- with an E. bye bye ok? bye!”**

**“Gilbert!”**

**“Yes?”** He turned to look at the person. **“Bianca! Hello! I’m so happy!”**

**“I can see it”** They laughed. Eyeing him up and down, **“How much have you had?”**

**“Not much- just a bottle of vodka”**

**“Jesus, Gilbert, that’s a lot”**

**“It’s not, here,”** He said, grabbing the bottle he previously put on the floor, **“There’s still some”** he offered them the bottle.

**“Thank you,”** Bianca smiled, **“You look really handsome tonight by the way”**

**“I know!”** He laughed, **“I had to- Jerry asked me- to be his best man… you look pretty too”**

**“Thank you, wanna dance?”**

**“YES! I’m bored here, let’s dance!”** He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the dance floor, Bianca struggling behind him, walking in high heels.

The music changed when they got to the dance floor and Anaconda by Niki Minaj started playing. Bianca was grinding against him.

This is so fun

This is the most fun he has had since he got back.

He does not realize how many songs pass but now he is dancing a slow song, Bianca had their arms around his neck and Gilbert had his arms around their waist.

The kiss… was unexpected but not unwelcome. It’s nice and warm. Their tongues moving slowly, like the music. Bianca started running their fingers through his curls and he grabbed their hips to bring them closer to him. They broke apart after a few minutes, Bianca leaving another quick kiss, and they continued dancing.

* * *

October 29, 2019

Ms. Martin thought his essay was perfect.

The rest of the classes are going well, his still one of the best in class and now he is feeling good about himself again. That essay is now a thing of the past, no matter how many times he wanted to leave and forget his dreams of being a doctor because he was exhausted, but it is all good now. His best friends are getting married, he is going to be the best man at the wedding, and that is just the recent things.

This year has been great for him. He went back to Canada and fixed things with Anne, and now their group is back together.

Good

It is all good again.

The best part is that they do not have to talk all the time to know they are good with each other. He cannot remember the last time he talked to Anne, or Cole, or Diana – he does talk to his brothers every day- but he knows that no matter how much time passes they are going to be there for each other.

Oh, Anne

He should call her.

Gilbert grabbed his phone from his back pocket and started looking for her number in his contacts. Anne picked up after the second ring.

**_“Hello?”_ **

**“Hey, Shirley”** He smiled.

**_“Hey,”_ **

**“How are you?”**

**_“I’m good, just having some breakfast, you?”_ **

**“Breakfast, right. I forgot… timezones”**

**_“It’s ok”_ **

**“Oh, well. I’m good. I’m on my way to Winnie’s. Oh!”** He said, excited. **“I have something to tell you, Jerry and Winifred are getting married!”**

**_“They are? That’s great”_ **

**“I know, right? And jerry asked me to be his best man! We celebrated the engagement but I don’t remember much from that night… Jerry told me a drank an entire bottle of vodka”**

**_“That’s so great, Gilbert”_ **

**“Hey, what’s wrong? You sound weird”**

**_“It’s nothing, I’m just getting out of a cold, but I’m still very tired from being sick”_ **

**“Oh,”** he pouted, **“I hope you get better…well, even better, I mean. Drink a lot of tea, any time you like, very hot with a bit of honey and lemon, it always helps”**

She chuckled, **_“Yes, doctor… so, vodka huh?”_**

Anne is great; she always is so good to talk to. It is so much better to have her as a friend that not to have her at all. Gilbert proceeded to talk about the day of the engagement, up until Jerry and Winnie got to the apartment to celebrate, everything is a blur after that and then his memories are completely gone. He should not have drunk that much but, oh well, what is done is done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been too long, I know. I'm just going to summarize my last few months so you can understand.
> 
> 1\. lots of crying and anxiety. I lost two family members, one from covid and the other from cancer.  
> 2\. I started going to the therapist, it's been good so far.  
> 3\. I started my second year of university so I'm stressed.  
> (4. i knit Harry Styles' cardigan, you can see it on my twitter @gingerspirits if you want and maybe follow me there too)
> 
> Thank you for reading, please leave a comment and tell me if you're liking it. I'm literally just continuing this because a lot of lovely people on Wattpad told me they wanted to read more of my stories.
> 
> xoxo GingerSpirits.


	14. Two Of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter from Two Of Us by Louis Tomlinson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Death, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
> 
> (I’m sorry) 

January 7, 2020

_La maladie à coronavirus …_

That’s the first time Gilbert heard about that disease, the first of many. He was in class, Clinic Biochemistry to be precise when his teacher started talking about it.

“:..est une maladie infectieuse émergente de type zoonose virale causée par la souche de coronavirus SARS-CoV-2” Ms. Martin started.

Apparently, the first case was identified in Wuhan, China, last December 2019 and it has been spreading worldwide, it is nothing to worry about at the moment.

Sure.

It all happened so fast after that. After that class, everyone started talking about it, or maybe they were already talking about it and he did not notice.

A lot of people started getting the virus, many survived it, but a lot of the people that have gotten the virus have died, mostly old people and children, which means those with the weakest immune system are not likely to survive.

Many countries around the world, mostly European countries, decided to start a lockdown, it was supposed to last two weeks, but then two weeks became into a month and a month into three months.

Every day he heard the news about the United States and how horribly they were ‘controlling’ the situation. Thank god for Canada and Canadians.

It got a bit…weird? hard? Some days, he was all alone in his apartment, after all, Winnie and Jerry lived together and had each other’s company, but he was all alone, no roommate, no partner, just Gilbert. Those days, when he was feeling like pulling his hair out from boredom or from wanting to just breath some fresh air –but not from his window-, he called Bash, or Charlie, or literally anyone who would answer the phone. He also played a lot of games on his phone –he liked Among Us but he was shit at being the impostor because he is a terrible liar. He did what apparently everyone was doing: watching tiktoks, playing Among us, skyping with friends, learning how to bake, exercising with random youtube videos –he did go to the gym before so this was not much different-, watch Netflix –he watched the twelve seasons of the Big Bang Theory- and even got a bit obsessed with One Direction –he already liked them, Anne made him listen to their songs when they were together, both them as a couple and One Direction as a group.

Almost every day he heard the news that a friend lost someone, it was always someone from his class in Paris, but that did not make it less hard for him. He was dreading a call from Canada, and it was a month since lockdown started when he received it.

* * *

June 13, 2020

_It's been a minute since I called you_

_Just to hear the answerphone_

_Yeah, I know that you won't get this_

_But I'll leave a message so I'm not alone_

The world is not fair. Life is not fair. Coronavirus is not fucking fair.

People die; it is the circle of life. You are born, you grow, you live and you die. All things must come to an end, even beautiful things, even life.

You may not want things to end, but it is inevitable.

_This morning I woke up still dreaming_

_With memories playing through my head_

_You'll never know how much I miss you_

_The day that they took you_

_I wish it was me instead_

Death takes away something from us. Always, you always lose something.

Either you die yourself and it takes away your life or it takes someone from you.

Sometimes, you wish to go with them. It would be easier, why live if you are hurting doing it? Why live when death took your favorite person away from you?

It would be so much easier, to end it all, so you could be together again, so you could see them again. After all, what else do you have if you do not have them?

The answer is nothing.

You are nothing without them. Life does not make sense without them. Death makes sense. Death makes so much sense right now.

It would be so much easier, so much easier.

_But you once told me "Don't give up_

_You can do it day by day"_

It gets easier, they say.

It will get better, they say.

Time solves all, they say.

WHEN? HOW MUCH LONGER? It does not get easier, it does not get better and time does definitely not solve all. Time only makes you forget, and they do not deserve that, they deserve to be remembered.

‘Just say goodbye, let them go and it will get easier, you have to accept they’re gone’, she said.

Wrong.

Peter Pan said, ‘Never say goodbye, because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting’, they already went away, but no goodbye means remembering, it is only logic.

_And diamonds, they don't turn to dust or fade away_

* * *

June 17, 2020

“How is she?”

“ _She’s… alive_ ” Bash responded.

“Even though she doesn’t want to be?” Gilbert asked, sitting on his couch.

Bash sighed, “ _yes_ ”

It has been hard to deal -even for Gilbert- with his passing. He wants to be there for them and he wants some comfort too, but he cannot leave Paris. Even though the restrictions have gone down a bit –people can come out of their houses more-, traveling is still forbidden.

It has been three months since Matthew’s passing. He was already sick, his heart was getting weaker and weaker due to his age, but the final drop to his glass was getting the coronavirus.

Anne broke when he died and no one knew what to do. Anne, sweet Anne, the girl that always smiles, broke.

She did not leave her room in two months after he passed, and after that, she only went out to go sit in Matthew’s hiding spot in the barn.

When it started, Anne moved in with Matthew and Marilla, she was the only one that could leave the house to buy the things they needed due to being the only young one and the least one at risk.

One morning, Anne woke up feeling unwell, she immediately phoned the house phone to let the siblings know she was sick, later that day Matthew started feeling sick too. Marilla was the only one that did not get the virus for some reason and was taking care of both. Rachel Lynde’s son started buying groceries for them when he went to buy some for his parents so Marilla did not have to go out.

Matthew died just four days after he got the virus, Anne could not even go to his funeral because she was still sick.

No one, except Marilla, has seen her since April.

“I need to see her,” Gilbert said.

 _“I know, brother, I can’t say she would want to see you though_ ” Bash replied with a soft chuckle that Gilbert mirrored. “Marilla tells me she’s starting to eat more which is good, she’s still a few kilos under the healthy weight, but I believe in her”

“She’s so strong, and I know she can do this on her own, she just needs time. Time solves all, it might be hard to believe. I was so close to punching the next person that told me that after dad died, it just didn’t seem… possible at the time, but” Gilbert sighed, rubbing one of his eyes with his hand, “it is, she just needs time”

* * *

January 7, 2021

_So I will keep you, day and night_

_Here until the day I die_

Time does heal after all.

It might not seem like it, but it does.

You might think it is easier to give up, but that is never the answer. You can do it. You can survive this. You just have to believe in yourself.

Think of all the people around you, think of all the love that surrounds you.

You might have lost someone, but you still have a lot of people, enjoy life with them while you can.

Moving on does not mean forgetting.

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

_I will be the best of me_

She does not remember how it happened, but it happened and she is not going to complain. Well, maybe she does.

She had dreamt with Matthew, it was a beautiful dream. He was in his hiding spot reading this book. When she came close to him and asked what he was reading, he said ‘it’s your book, _Blue_ , it’s really good, I’m so proud of you’

_Always keep you next to me_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

It all came to place after that. She had to re-take the classes she failed in her last year of university –all of them, she did not do any work after Matthew died- so she could graduate. It was a bit difficult at first but with the help of her professors and some classmates, she did it. Anne was going to graduate in May.

She found an internship in a publishing company in Spain with the help of her Spanish teacher. All she had to do before she could go in the summer was to graduate and renew her passport. The publishing company offered her housing and they were also paying for all her expenses in food and transport, she would also get paid –minimum wage, but it was still a lot-. It was the best thing that happened to her.

_Even when I'm on my own_

_I know I won't be alone_

_Tattooed on my heart are the words of your favourite song_

She started writing the first draft for _Blue_ a week after the dream. Words never came faster and a month after she started it was all finished, it still needed some polishing, but she knew it was her best piece yet. Not that her other stories were not good, but they were… not _Blue_.

At first, she only had the title, so it was hard to start. It was just a color.

_Blueblueblue_

The ocean is blue, the sky is blue, and violets are blue… Her eyes are blue… Matthew’s eyes are also blue.

It was not just a color. It was their color. Another thing of many that they shared.

Anne and Matthew were connected in a way that was difficult to explain. They were kindred spirits, soulmates even, but it still was not enough, their connection went beyond that.

So they were blue.

Blue was often considered the color for sadness, but why?

If Matthew’s eyes looked the most blue when he was happy, why does it have to be a sad color? The answer is…it does not.

Blue means happy, blue means deep connection, blue means love, blue means the sky, blue means the ocean, blue means Anne, blue means Matthew, and blue means everything.

_I know you'll be looking down_

_Swear I'm gonna make you proud_

_I'll be living one life for the two of us_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still struggling, but I'm a bit better. Thank you for your kind words last time, sorry for taking so long to update, I promise to update more, (I suggest you go to my Twitter @gingerspirits and remind me to write because some times I just forget, this chapter has been on my laptop for two months now and forgot to finish it, I just need some motivation really), I really want to finish this story and just so you know, we are almost at the end...
> 
> Thank you, remember to take care (I'm trying), be kind, and be smart.
> 
> xo GingerSpirits.
> 
> PD: I think I'm updating TEMPORARY FIX tomorrow, it's weird updating just one of them because I always update both at the same time but I just really wanted to post this so you had something to read???? anyway, again, thanks for reading. please tell me what you think!!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm warning you, this fic is going to be a mess because I'm planning on posting flashback chapters every 'present' chapter so... enjoy and look at the dates I put so you know if it's the present or the past. 
> 
> Tell me what you think! 
> 
> Next Chapter: Anne and Gilbert meet (2013).
> 
> xo GingerSpirits


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